Ellie's ears were ringing, her breathing was heavy and shallow. John Walker had fled the scene moments ago. Where? They didn't know. Sam was currently on the phone with the police. Someone else had called EMTs who were arriving shortly, Ellie knew this because the sirens were mixed in with the ringing in her ears. The crowd had not dispersed, their panicked and fearful voices were muffled to Ellie. At some point between hiding her face in Bucky's chest and the sound of the ambulance sirens, Ellie had ended up seated on the ground. Bucky kneeled in front of her and talked her through the panic attack.
"Ellie, listen to me," Bucky held her face in his hands. "Take in a deep breath."
Ellie attempted to inhale a deep breath but her throat closed and she felt choked.
"I can't breathe-" Ellie began. "I can't breathe-"
"I know it's hard," Bucky assured her. "Breathe with me, we've done this before, take a breath."
They both inhaled, though Ellie was more shaky than Bucky and she barely got any air into her lungs. Bucky exhaled and she followed suit, but her shallow breaths continued. Ellie shut her eyes. The only thing on her mind was the sight of John Walker holding the Shield up over his head and bringing it down on Nico. The Shield. The Shield was meant to bring feelings of peace, freedom, and safety. John Walker used it as a weapon for his own gains. Now innocent blood was spattered on the side of it.
"Ellie, open your eyes," Bucky said. "Look at me, baby, open your eyes."
Ellie did as he said and she looked at his calm face. His remarkably calm face despite what they had just witnessed. Bucky was more angry than anything, but he had to focus on Ellie and he forced out a gentle smile.
"Remember those flowers outside my place in Wakanda?" Bucky asked. Ellie gave a small nod and she blinked through her tears. "Think about how sweet they smelled every morning, remember that smell, and breathe in through your nose." Ellie closed her eyes and inhaled through her nose. The ghost of the flowers' scent filled her. "Good, now breathe out."
Ellie breathed out a cloud of vapor. Her breath was still shaky but at least it wasn't hyperventilating. Ellie opened her eyes and frowned. Bucky let go of her face and held her hands.
"How are you feeling?" He asked.
"I think I'm gonna be sick," she mumbled.
"Well, if you're gonna be sick then be sick," Bucky replied. "No shame in that."
Ellie swallowed and felt saliva gather in her mouth. Her stomach churned and she fought off the urge to vomit. She shook her head to let Bucky know that she wasn't going to be sick. The ringing in her ears subsided and she glanced around. As she turned her head to the right, Bucky placed his hand on her cheek and turned her head back to him.
"Let's not look that way," he said.
Ellie quickly understood what he meant and she nodded. Sam set down his phone and looked at the two on the ground. He gave a sympathetic look to Ellie and Bucky caught his eye.
"Let me know when you're ready," Sam said. "I told the police that we would extract Walker, they didn't give us long."
Bucky gave an understanding nod and he turned his attention back to Ellie. She took in another deep breath and exhaled. In her head, she was counting down from 5. She squeezed Bucky's hands to indicate that she was ready to stand.
5...
Bucky helped her to her feet and she stood upright. She still held onto Bucky's hands.
4...
Ellie thought about the Shield. What it meant to her, to Bucky, and to Sam.
3...
She thought about John Walker and his inability to properly represent the Shield.
2...
They were going to steal it back.
1...
"I'm ready," said Ellie.
~~
They found John Walker in the warehouse of an abandoned railway station. It didn't take them long. Sharon was still tracking him. John Walker kneeled on the ground and leaned his head on the Shield in front of him. Ellie wondered if he felt regret. Of course, he did; he ran. The three of them watched from a doorway, waiting for him to move, or maybe even realize that they were there. John Walker slowly lifted his head, stretched his neck, and mumbled to himself.
"Time to go to work."
He stood and began to walk to an exit. Bucky, Ellie, and Sam approached him with a calm demeanor. They weren't going to hurt him, yet. Maybe there was a sliver of sense in John that they could reach.
"Walker..." Sam began.
John looked at them with no feeling and turned to walk around them. "You three should see a medic, you don't look so good."
Ellie was taken aback. John spoke to them as if he hadn't just murdered someone in front of a crowd, as if there wasn't blood splattered on the Shield. It was then that she knew there was no sense in John, that maybe they would have to knock some sense into him.
"Stop, Walker," Sam ordered.
Walker turned around, his breathing was heavy and it almost matched Ellie's hyperventilations from earlier. "What?" He glanced between the three of them. "You saw what happened. You know what I had to do." John's voice raised. "I killed him 'cause I had to! He killed Lemar!"
"He didn't kill Lemar, John," Bucky corrected him and John scoffed.
"Don't go down that road," Ellie said. "Believe me, it doesn't end well."
John grimaced and his eyes darted wildly between Bucky and Ellie. "I'm not like you."
Ellie's brows lowered and Bucky glanced down.
"Listen, it was the heat of the battle. Okay?" Sam tried to reason. "If you explain what happened, they may consider your record. We don't want anyone else to get hurt."
As Sam spoke, John shut his eyes tight and tilted his head from side to side, as if his helmet was too tight on his head. Bucky and Ellie could see that he was reaching a breaking point. Ellie placed one hand over a blade hilt to prepare herself.
"You gotta give me the Shield, man," Sam said.
That's what did it. John slowly looked up at Sam with a cold, blank stare. He looked at Bucky, then at Ellie, then back at Sam with that cold, wild gaze.
"Oh," he began with a wry smile pulling at his mouth. "So that's what this is. You almost got me." His voice was almost down to a whisper at this point.
Sam shook his head. "You made a mistake."
John Walker looked between the three of them, almost like he was taking in their size and ability. He was weighing his options.
"You don't wanna do this," he warned.
Bucky glanced up from the ground. "Yeah, we do." His voice was grim.
Ellie caught the dilation in John's pupils and Bucky moved first. He threw a punch and Vibranium collided as his fist hit the Shield. John kicked Sam back and he hit the ground. Ellie pulled the hilt from her belt and formed a blade of ice. She swung the blade and John held up the Shield. The ice shattered and John shoved the Shield forward and knocked Ellie back. She hid the ground and skidded across the concrete for a moment before she picked herself back up. Bucky and John were caught in a brawl and John prepared himself to bring the Shield down on Bucky the way he had on Nico. Sam activated his wings and used them as a weapon to try to knock the Shield out of John's hand. It almost worked, but John brought the Shield back around and swung at Sam. Bucky used this opportunity to leap and hit his Vibranium arm on the Shield in hopes that it would knock off John's arm. This was going to be harder than they thought it would be. None of them had considered that John had taken the serum. Now it was a huge problem.
Ellie ran forward and reached for John's arm, but he kicked her away. Again, she attempted to grab his arm, and the frost prickled her hands, but John leaned away and shoved her back with the Shield. Bucky picked up on what she was attempting to do and he worked to get John's arm exposed so that she could grab it, but it just turned into a punching match between them. John ducked as Bucky made another swing and he ended up breaking a metal pole behind Walker. John went forward and kicked Sam down. Ellie gave up on trying to grab his arm and flung her hand out to shoot a projectile. Unfortunately, John moved fast and the icicle flew right past him. Seeing this, John let out an angered shout and he spun around to fling the Shield. Ellie was quick to duck but the Shield hit Bucky with a great force and set him flying into the back of a railcar. Bucky quickly slipped the Shield onto his arm and John ran after him. Ellie helped Sam to his feet while John grabbed the Shield and shoved Bucky back into the metal frame of the railcar.
"Why are you making me do this?" John questioned as he pushed harder and Bucky scowled. "Why are you making me do this?!"
With a tight grip on the Shield, John swung around and flung Bucky across the warehouse. Bucky hit an electrical panel on a support beam and electrical currents surged over him, concentrating on the Vibranium arm. A pain he was familiar with. Bucky didn't get up and John moved toward him but Ellie sprinted and tackled him to the ground. Ellie finally had her moment and she grabbed John's arm. Frost trailed down his arm and to his hand where he gripped the Shield. John screamed in pain and Ellie made the mistake of looking away to get Sam.
"Sam, the Shie--"
She was cut off when, through the pain, John swung his arm over and whacked Ellie's temple. She fell to the side and John stood up just as Sam flew in to grab the Shield. John knocked him down and was about to bring the Shield down on Sam, but he rolled away and got to his feet. Sam deactivated the wings and looked at Walker.
"This isn't you, John."
John panted and gave a wild grin. "We could have been a team."
Ellie shut her eyes tight and rubbed her temple to try to subside the pounding. She struggled to stand up and looked to see Sam in the air with a cord attached to the Shield. The jets on his wings worked to pull back but John held tight. Suddenly the tension loosened and John let go of the Shield. He fell forward from the force and Sam fell from the sudden lack of force. Both of them hit the ground, along with the Shield and Ellie began crawling to the Shield. Both Sam and John got up to go for it and Ellie looked past them to see Bucky still on the ground. Ellie diverted from her original path and ran for Bucky. She reached him and rolled him over, relieved to see that he was breathing, just in a lot of pain.
"Bucky," Ellie said as she patted his cheek. Bucky muttered something as he flexed his metal hand. A few sparks flew but it worked. "What?" Ellie asked.
Bucky weakly pointed in Sam and John's direction. "The Shield."
Ellie turned to Sam and John and her heart skipped a beat when she saw that the Shield was in no one's possession. Ellie left Bucky's side, knowing that he would be all right, and made a beeline for the Shield. Her plans changed when she heard John let out a battle cry. John had Sam pinned to the floor and he was ripping the wings off his suit. Ellie ran up behind John and grabbed his shoulders in an attempt to pull him off of Sam. John's helmet was off at this point and Ellie grabbed his hair to pull as well. This only angered John more and with one swift movement, he ripped the wings off of Sam's suit. John shoved Ellie off his shoulders and picked up the Shield. He raised it over his head and Ellie stood to her feet and tackled John once more. The Shield clambered to the ground and John tried to detach her from him. He pushed her off him and got to his knees but she latched on again, frost spreading wherever she touched him. John shouted as he grabbed her arms to pull them away. He swung his fist and it met the side of her face, but she held onto him. He swung at her again and his fist met her back.
Ellie slapped John across the face and swung herself around to climb onto his back. John stood up and reached back to grab her but she wrapped her legs around his shoulders to hold his arms down and stabilize herself. Ellie grabbed the sides of John's face and frost began to spread over his skin and down his neck. John shouted out and ran back to shove Ellie into the metal frame behind them. Ellie grunted against the pain but still held tight. Her mind was a blur and all she could think about was getting John to fall unconscious. Even if that meant he fell dead. Bucky was in the process of helping Sam to his feet when he heard a wild scream of pain come from John. They both looked over to see that the frost had spread down half of his body and his lips were close to turning blue. If they didn't do anything now, Ellie might kill him. Bucky's mouth opened and he shouted.
"Eleanor!"
Ellie looked up, blinking from her trance of rage and her grip on John loosened. John felt this and he reached down, picked up the Shield, and swung back to hit Ellie square in the face. Bucky and Sam thought for sure that Ellie was going to fall from John's shoulders, but all that happened was her head leaned back from the impact and her hands let go of John's head. Blood dripped from her nose and upper lip. Somehow, her legs were still wrapped around his shoulders and as her head came forward again John gripped her thighs, pulled her from his back, over his head, and threw her to the ground. Ellie's back hit the floor first and she let out a pained wheeze. With the wind knocked out of her, all she could do was use her hands to cover her face as John held up the Shield. As he brought the Shield down, Bucky ran forward and grabbed it before it met Ellie's chest. Bucky pulled John with him, careful not to step on Ellie, and they fell back into a punching match. Ellie rolled onto her stomach and coughed. She took in deep breaths to recollect herself and shook her head. Ellie struggled to her feet and practically stumbled over to John, who had knocked Bucky to the ground. She slipped her arms under John's shoulders and pulled his arms back. John pulled forward and Ellie tightened her grip and pulled him further back until she was pressed against a metal frame with him pressed against her. John struggled again and Sam rushed in, grabbed his arm, and pushed it straight against a metal bar. John pulled forward with a tight grip on the Shield, despite his arm being strained, and Bucky lightly pushed him back into Ellie's hold, careful not to crush her. But that wasn't going to help her cause, she needed Bucky's help.
"Crush me, I don't care!" Ellie screamed, her voice strained and frantic.
Bucky trusted her word and shoved John back. Ellie let out a pained shout but she still held a tight grip on John's arms. The jets on Sam's back powered up as he worked to pull the Shield from John's arm, even if that meant breaking a few bones in the process. Bucky bore his teeth at John as he pushed him back into Ellie's grip. Ellie could feel her ribs being crushed by the weight of John, and she let out a strained shout over the top of Sam's yell as he pushed harder on John's arm. Pure fear fell over John's face and that was quickly replaced with pain as the sound of bones breaking reached all of their ears.
John's arm snapped at the shoulder and he screamed out with immense pain. Sam fell forward with the Shield in his hands and Bucky stumbled to the side. With the pressure off of her, Ellie shoved John forward and fell to her knees. Bucky stood upright and spit blood from his mouth. Ellie got to her feet with her hand held to her aching ribs and Bucky pulled her to him. They began to slowly walk toward Sam who stood with the Shield in his hands. Somehow, John managed to stand and turned to the three of them.
"It's mine," he grumbled.
"It's over John," Sam huffed.
"It's mine!" John repeated and he made a swing at them with his unbroken arm.
Bucky stopped the swing and hit John across the head with his metal arm. As John stumbled back, Ellie shoved him back towards Bucky and he picked John up by the legs. Ellie stepped back, Sam ran forward with the Shield in his hands, and Bucky swung John like a baseball bat into the Shield. The impact knocked them all down, save for Ellie, and John was unconscious. Ellie stood over John to make sure he was actually out, and he was.
Bucky was the first to sit up and he kneeled in front of the Shield. He picked it up, got to his feet, looked over the bloody mess of it, and threw it down by Sam. The two of them stared at each other without speaking. Bucky gave Sam a look of "There, we stole the Shield. It's yours now." Then he turned to walk away, not before pausing to get a look at Ellie's state, which was just as bad as his, and she walked over to where he stood.
Bucky stared down at her with a far-off look and Ellie reached up with her hand to wipe the blood from his lip. Ellie looked at Sam to find him hopelessly wiping the blood from the Shield. When she looked back at Bucky, he had already made his way to the exit. Ellie clicked her tongue, glanced back at Sam, and then followed Bucky out of the warehouse. When she reached him, he stood outside, staring out with the far-off look again. Ellie stood next to him and watched his face. She waited. When he didn't move she spoke.
"Bucky, breathe."
Bucky took in a deep inhale through his nose and exhaled. He looked down at her and blinked away some of the tears that threatened to leave. Ellie sighed and held her arms open.
"C'mere," she whispered.
Bucky turned to her and took her invitation. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and pressed his face into her hair. Ellie didn't care that the blood on his face might get in her hair, and she didn't care that he was crushing her ribs. She only cared about him.
~~
A day later, cleaned and patched up, Ellie, Bucky, and Sam stood in an empty fugitive camp. The same one where Donya Madani's memorial was held. But now, the flowers and candles were replaced with caution tape and stacked chairs.
"The GRC is conducting raids to try and find Karli," Sam explained why he had called Ellie and Bucky to meet him there. "But so far they've only found her followers. They searched this camp, and just like the last camp, nothing. She's gone. We'll never find her."
For someone who had just stolen back the Shield, Sam talked with a lot of lost hope. Bucky and Ellie had nothing to say. Torres entered the room with the usual pep in his walk and he pointed to Bucky.
"Hey, you got your sleeve back!" He joked.
Bucky glanced down with an irritated eye roll and turned to walk out of the building. Ellie gave a quick smile to Torres and hopped down from the table that she sat on. She didn't need to ask to know where Bucky was headed, but Sam did.
"Are you off to take care of Zemo?"
Bucky turned with a slight nod of his head before he left the room. Ellie gave a quick wave goodbye before she left as well.
"All right, good to know you survived," Torres called as she went out of sight.
Bucky didn't even glance behind him to know that Ellie was following. He just knew. He spoke while he walked with determination.
"Zemo couldn't have gone far. We'll meet up with Ayo and the Dora Milaje to track him down."
Ellie stared at the back of his head and she slowed her steps to a halt. She thought for a moment and pulled her phone out of her pocket. She opened the messaging app and looked at the coordinates that were shared with her. Maybe she can pull this off. Bucky had only gotten ten steps ahead of her before he realized she was no longer behind him.
"But I have a feeling I know where he is..." He trailed off.
Bucky stopped walking and turned around. Ellie put her phone back in her pocket and stared at him with a pondering look, but something told him she had already made a decision. It was her face.
"You're not coming with," Bucky said.
Ellie chewed her inner lip. She couldn't lie to him anymore. "We're at a dead end with the Flagsmashers." She shifted on her feet. "There's only one other thing on our list to deal with..."
Bucky's face dropped and he didn't even have to ask. He knew what she was thinking. It had been on her mind ever since Madripoor.
"Don't do it," he warned.
"Trying to get information out of Karli is a lost cause now," Ellie explained. "We know next to nothing about what their plans are."
"And talking to Reed is gonna be better?" Bucky questioned, with a tilt of his head. "Ellie, that's suicide."
"I can get him to talk. He likes to talk, you know that."
Bucky clenched his jaw. Ellie was right. She usually was. In the most dangerous ways.
"I'm coming with you," he said.
Ellie's heart skipped a beat as she remembered Henry's text. When the time comes, you must come alone. How could she tell him that he couldn't come without it sounding like this was a plan? Or that she didn't want him to come?
"No, you're not going with. He sees you as a threat," Ellie replied.
"And what does he see you as?" Bucky retorted.
"Vulnerable."
Bucky's jaw tensed and he glanced to the side. He returned his gaze to Ellie, it was more firm this time.
"That's what I'm worried about," he said.
Ellie had to think fast to convince Bucky to not go with her. She thought too fast.
"He wanted to meet alone--" Ellie bit her tongue but it was too late.
Bucky's blue eyes became icy as he gave her a shocked expression. He almost looked betrayed. Ellie wanted to look away but she maintained eye contact.
"You've been in contact with him?" Bucky asked, but he already knew the answer. Ellie chewed her inner lip and remained silent. "How long?"
"Since Zemo's apartment," she answered. "When you and Sam went searching for Donya."
"Ellie..." Bucky began. His disappointment in her was replaced with distress.
"I was at a dead end, Bucky," Ellie explained. "There was no way I could get information, and it was a last resort."
"You're going to get killed," Bucky pressed.
"No, I'm not. I can control the situation-" Ellie argued.
"He shot you the last time you were face to face," Bucky interrupted her again and began to walk back to her.
"I know that, but listen to me, James, I'm not going to be caught off guard this time," Ellie continued.
"What makes you think he's not gonna pull a fast one and try to kill you again?" Bucky questioned. By this time he was two feet away from her.
"Because I know Henry-" Ellie began and was cut off when Bucky reached her and held his hands to her cheeks.
"I know him too, Ellie!" He practically shouted in her face and Ellie closed her eyes. "I've had my share of his manipulations, and he's going to fuck with your head and take control of the situation, and you're gonna end up dead." Ellie opened her eyes and the hard look in them disappeared to show the softness beneath.
"Can't you just trust me for once, James?" Ellie asked and she put her hands over his. "Why can't you just trust that I can handle this?"
"Dammit, Ellie, because I can't lose you," Bucky tensed his shoulders and Ellie felt his hold on her face get tighter. His grip loosened and he moved his hands to the side of her neck while his thumbs traced her jaw. "Don't you understand? You're all I have left and I can't lose you. I trust you, I really do, but I can't let you do this alone."
Tears lined Ellie's eyes and she tried to will them away by scowling and showing her stubbornness. She was fighting to win this battle and convince Bucky to let her go alone. Bucky could see past her stubbornness, he was the only one who could. He stared deeply into her eyes and once he saw any sign of a break in her armor, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. Ellie was taken aback for a second before she let herself go and softened to the kiss. Whenever Henry had kissed her in the midst of an argument, it always was to distract her, to end the argument so that he had the last word and he could win. But this... This was different. This kiss wasn't leading to anything. It wasn't Bucky using her to his advantage. It was an apology, an agreement, a compromise. The passion of Bucky's kiss matched the emotion of the kiss that they shared on the battlefield outside the destroyed Avengers compound, just pure love. Except this time, there were no aliens or enemies to interrupt them. Bucky tilted his head and kissed her again and again and again. This was his way of saying "please". At this point, the tears were flowing freely from Ellie's eyes. She returned each one of Bucky's kisses with the same passion. This was her way of saying and admitting, "I can't do this alone. I need you." Bucky kissed her lips once more before he kissed the corners of her mouth, her nose, her eyes, and her forehead.
"I know you've been doing everything on your own for five years," Bucky finally spoke. "But you don't have to anymore."
"Okay," Ellie spoke in a whisper.
"So, what's your plan?"
Ellie's brows furrowed, and she blinked at Bucky. She floundered. This whole time she was planning to meet up with Henry, but she didn't have a plan. Ellie let out a light laugh and shook her head.
"I don't have one," she answered. Bucky leaned back with his brows raised. At first, there was a look of worry, and then it turned to a look of amusement. An embarrassed smile pulled at the corners of Ellie's mouth. "Bucky, don't laugh at me."
"I'm not going to laugh at you," he assured her with laughter in his voice.
"Yes you are," Ellie retorted. "I don't have a plan, that's on me. But I'm hoping that you do."
Bucky's face returned to its serious look and he inhaled. "I do. I think he's in Sokovia, or what's left of it."
"The memorial," Ellie responded with understanding. "Well, maybe by the time you retrieve Zemo, I'll have a plan."
"I'm going to hope," Bucky replied.
He looked down the street and his eyes fell upon the two Dora Milaje who waited patiently for them. Something inside of Bucky told him that Zemo's capture would be just as easy as his escape. But why did he feel sick inside? Bucky turned his gaze back to Ellie and he almost laughed at her look of concentration as she tried to brainstorm a plan.
"C'mon, let's go," Bucky finally spoke.
Ellie nodded and they took each other's hands as they approached the Dora Milaje.
~~
The Dora Milaje landed their jet outside the former city lines of Sokovia. What was left of it was an overgrown forest, but Ellie still could see the European city full of innocent people unaware of what was about to become of their home. Ellie remembers the Battle of Sokovia to be the last Avengers mission before everything fell apart. In the center of the forest was a lake that filled the crater of the decimated city, and by that lake was a stone memorial. A second Wakandan jet was already there and Ellie guessed that it was a separate transportation for Zemo. From the radar on the jet screens, Bucky was right about Zemo being here. The back hatch opened and Bucky moved to leave the jet, but he turned around to face Ellie, who was about to follow him.
"I want you to stay here," he said.
Ellie furrowed her brow. They had gone through all this trouble so that Bucky could accompany her and now he was asking to be alone. Ellie opened her mouth to argue but immediately closed it as she thought it over again. She thought about her conversation with Sam back in Riga. Ellie chose her words carefully.
"This is personal to you," Ellie said and Bucky gave a light nod. "I'm just a little annoyed that we went through all that earlier to be together and now you want to go in alone."
"I understand that, and I'm sorry," Bucky replied. "I want you to stay on the jet."
Ellie chewed her inner lip and nodded her head. "Okay."
Bucky gave her a light smile and he turned to exit the jet. Before he could disappear from her sight, Ellie called out.
"I love you."
Bucky stopped and looked back at her. "I love you, too."
Ellie let out a deep exhale once he had left and she turned to the Dora Milaje who were still in the jet. Ayo waited by the jet doors for Bucky's signal. Ellie pulled out her phone and pulled up the coordinates that Henry sent her.
"Do you think you can look these up?" Ellie asked. "And possibly take us there?"
Yama nodded and held her hand out to be offered the phone. Ellie's eyebrows raised in surprise, she thought that there would be more hesitancy with how they were mad with Bucky. Yama entered the coordinates into the navigation system and Ellie watched as the screen closed in on a location in Germany. Her heart almost dropped as she thought of the possibility of Henry taking her to a HYDRA base, but she didn't recognize the abandoned building.
"What is this?" Nomble asked.
"A long-held grudge that needs to be settled," Ellie answered. "Could get dangerous."
"It usually is," Ayo replied.
Ellie gave a light laugh and she glanced at the Dora pilot. "Thank you for helping me, I know we've already asked a lot from you--"
"You, Snow Angel, have asked nothing," Ayo cut her off. "White Wolf has asked more than once. We will help you until we are no longer needed."
Ellie blinked at Ayo's blatant honesty. She shouldn't be shocked anymore by their attitudes but it still was astonishing.
"That's a good point," Ellie said. "I just need you to get us to that location and get us out."
"Easy enough," Ayo responded.
She looked out the jet door, then turned her head to the Dora Milaje and spoke to them in their language. Immediately, the women formed up and headed out the jet door. Ellie craned her neck to get a look out the window and saw that Bucky had a gun held to Zemo's head. Ellie's heart pounded in her chest for a split second before she saw Bucky hold out his hand and drop the bullets to the ground. Ellie's lip twitched and she gave a light shake of her head.
"Always for the dramatics, Buck," she muttered.
Zemo did not resist his arrest and the Dora Milaje took him to the second jet, which was inbound to the Raft. Ayo and Bucky returned to the jet and Bucky looked to Ellie expectantly.
"You ready?"
Ellie swallowed and nodded her head. She hadn't come up with a plan. Maybe she would just wing it. All she knew was that she would have to keep Henry answering her questions, not let him ramble, and not let him shoot her. Plain and simple.
~~
"He's not gonna be happy if he sees you here," Ellie said as Ayo landed the jet outside the abandoned building. "So stay hidden until you're needed. Which hopefully won't need to happen."
Pine trees surrounded the area and Ellie realized that they weren't far from where the Howling Commandos had fought on the frontlines. The back hatch opened and Ellie didn't even step away from Bucky before he grabbed her hand. Ellie looked back and gave him a reassuring squeeze.
"And what if I think that I need to go in without you saying so?" Bucky asked.
"I will tell you when you need to come in," Ellie reiterated. Bucky pressed his lips into a thin line and gave a stiff nod. "I'll be okay. I think. I'll let you know, trust me."
"I do," Bucky said.
He pulled her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers before he let her walk off the jet. He waited a few beats before he followed and gave a nod to Ayo. As he stepped off, the reflector panels were engaged and the jet disappeared from unknowing eyes.
Ellie entered the building with caution. She found herself in a hallway and in either direction was a doorway to a flight of stairs. Ellie chose left and she glanced behind her as she walked up the steps. Bucky wasn't far behind and he chose right. Knowing he was there took some tension off her shoulders but her heart still pounded in her chest. Ellie held her hand to the gun at her belt as she reached a doorway that led to a balcony overlooking the lower floor of the building. Across from her was another balcony and her heartbeat quickened when a figure entered the doorway.
"I hope you came alone," Henry's voice echoed across to her as he made himself visible.
In the light, Ellie could now get a better look at his face. It was the same face but somehow he looked different. Maybe it was age, but there was a darker, more menacing look about him. It almost looked natural. If she didn't hate him so much she would admit that he was wickedly handsome, but now wasn't the time to admit it.
"I did," Ellie answered dishonestly. She looked him up and down to check for weapons. He seemed to be unarmed, but she couldn't be sure.
"Did you?" Henry asked.
"Yes," Ellie repeated her lie.
"Promise?" A smirk pulled at the corner of Henry's mouth.
"I'm alone, Henry," Ellie's voice became bitter and it echoed against the stone walls.
"No need to get snappy." Henry held up his hands as if to dissuade her. "So, you're here to play 20 questions?"
Ellie paused, hating that he was calling this confrontation a harmless game like what they played on their first date. "If that's what you want to call it."
Ellie swallowed. She couldn't be tough like that. She had to be what Henry sees her as, vulnerable. Then he would talk. Ellie drew in a breath to calm herself and sweetened her voice ever so slightly.
"I want to get to know you Henry, the real you."
There was a flash of amusement and pride in Henry's eyes. "Well, what's your first question? I've got all day." He held his arms out in an open gesture as if he were an open book.
"Do you?" Ellie questioned with doubt.
Henry nodded and his eyes flicked to the burn scar that trailed over the right side of her face. His eyes narrowed into that of curiosity and mockery.
"What happened to your face?"
Ellie felt her cheek tingle and shame washed over her when she didn't want it to. She had worked so hard to not feel shame at the sight of her scar, and to ignore the stares of those around her. But the moment Henry asked that question she was back to square one and she wanted to hide her face.
"I'm asking the questions," Ellie bit back.
Henry gave a wry smile and tilted his head. "Ask away, sweetheart."
That pet name bore holes in Ellie's chest. It made her feel sick. There was one occasion when Bucky had called her that and the look of discomfort on Ellie's face told him that he should never use that name again, and he didn't without having to ask. But Henry knew what it could do to her. He knew that there were sick and sweet memories attached to that name that had her mind chasing itself as it tried to figure out how it should feel. It was confusing to her and amusing to him.
"When did you become a HYDRA agent?" Ellie finally asked.
"Right after my training to become a SHIELD Agent," Henry answered with pride. "Rumlow and Pierce saw my potential."
Ellie paused. She was still trying to piece together the timeline of things and it occurred to her that he had been lying to her and many others for a very long time. Henry saw this and he clicked his tongue.
"Yes, Nell, for the whole time. The whole time and you didn't even know, and I thought you were smarter than that--"
"Next question," Ellie cut him off. "Did you kill Jonathan Bell because he knew about HYDRA?"
"Maybe you are smarter than I thought," Henry said with a tilt of his head.
He didn't even have to answer properly for Ellie to affirm that he did in fact kill Bell for that reason.
"Where did you go after you resigned?" Ellie continued to ask questions.
Maybe the more she spoke, the fewer chances he would have to get to her head.
"Everywhere and anywhere." Henry's face dropped to a hateful gaze. "Until the fall of SHIELD, that was a mess. You and Cap really screwed us over, you know that? Just another way that you ruined my life."
Ellie gave a slight smile knowing that she had ruined his life in other ways already. She let that get in her way. "How have I ruined your life, Henry?"
"You, Nell, ruined my mission," Henry answered. He held onto the railing in front of him and leaned forward.
Ellie furrowed her brow. "What mission?"
"You." Henry smiled his wicked grin again. He tightened his grip on the railing and imagined that it was her throat.
Ellie's mouth fell slightly open as she thought about what that could possibly mean. When she didn't respond Henry continued.
"What? You thought it was my choice to volunteer to go on that rescue mission with you? It was all organized by Pierce from the start. HYDRA needed someone to get close to their biggest asset, and it wasn't going to be Sitwell. Everything you told me, all your deepest, darkest secrets and fears, they all went back to HYDRA. You were an open book, Nell. It was quite easy for the first couple of months. Then you had to be difficult and break things off, making me lose my job in New York."
Ellie shook her head with a grimace. "If it was just a job, you could have gotten all that information just by being my friend, you didn't have to take me on a date."
"How else would I have gotten in your pants?" Henry's voice changed to a sickeningly sweet tone.
Ellie was stunned, unable to speak, and she felt her breath catch. She needed to find a way to get him to shut up, she needed to find another question but her heart was in her throat. Maybe it was bile.
Henry was motivated by the horrified expression on her face. He knew what he was doing to her. "Plus, it wouldn't have done the Winter Soldier much harm if I had told him about how good of friends we were, it had to punch him in the gut."
The sickening feeling in Ellie's stomach was quickly replaced with anger. "You shut the hell up."
Bucky wasn't much of a distance away. In fact, he was on the other side of the wall behind Ellie. He was already angry the moment he heard Henry's voice, but now he was fuming. He could barely think straight but he knew that Ellie would let him know when she needed him. Right now seemed like a great time and he shifted on his feet. He had to hold back.
"What, he didn't tell you?" Henry pried. "He knows all the details."
"Stop-" Ellie began.
"He did his best work after hearing what I would do to you," Henry continued.
Bucky pressed his earpiece and Ellie heard him speak through grit teeth on the comms. "I might punch him. Give me a reason not to punch him."
Ellie's heart skipped a beat. She hadn't realized that he was close enough to hear everything that Henry was saying. She ignored Bucky's words and the cold feeling in her hands and tried to regain control of the situation. "Henry, stop. I have another question-"
"Maybe it turned him on." At this point, a wild grin was plastered on Henry's face. He was practically swimming in her agony and was waiting for her to break.
Something popped in the back of both Ellie's and Bucky's heads.
"I'm going to go over there and-" Bucky began as he stepped away from the wall.
Ellie's eyes widened and she turned her head to the side as if Bucky were standing right next to her. "Not yet!" She ordered.
Henry's smile dropped. Ellie turned her head back to him and he searched her face. Henry's jaw tightened as he realized what just happened.
"So, you're not alone." He reached behind him and pulled out a Glock that Ellie thought looked familiar. "You lied to me, Nell."
Henry pointed the gun at Ellie and she held her hand out. The moment Henry pulled the trigger, Bucky was in front of Ellie. Bucky held up his Vibranium arm and the bullet ricocheted off the metal. Bucky then pulled out his own gun and pointed it at Henry.
Ellie swore she could see a hint of fear in Henry's eyes when he saw Bucky standing there and she was almost entertained. Henry quickly covered the fear with snarkiness.
"Ah, the Winter Soldier himself."
"Don't shoot, I have another question," Ellie said to Bucky.
"Shoot," Henry said.
Ellie looked back at Henry and stepped forward to stand by Bucky. "How did you end up working for the Power Broker?"
"HYDRA has its connections," Henry began. "2 years before the Blip, the last of the HYDRA heads went down." Ellie and Bucky glanced at each other for a second when they realized he was talking about Karpov, who was killed by Zemo. That was how he ended up with the Red Book. "So, the agents who were left scattered to where we could be made useful. I was sent to the place no one else wanted to go: Madripoor. Slowly, I climbed my way to the top by doing what anyone in Madripoor would do: Kill or be killed. I made my living as a Bounty Hunter and the Power Broker saw that I was making more money than anyone out there, so he made me an offer."
"And what's your plan with the Flagsmashers?" Ellie pressed.
"You're getting too testy there, Nell," Henry smiled.
Bucky felt his eye twitch. "Don't call her Nell. That's not her name."
"I'll call her whatever the hell I want," Henry retorted.
"What is your plan with the Flagsmashers, what's going to happen to Karli?" Ellie pressed.
The desperation in her voice was clear and Henry raised his brows. "Oh no, sweetheart, don't tell me you've gone soft for her. She's a lost cause, don't try it. They'll all be dead by the end of the week."
"Henry, what are they planning?" Ellie stepped forward.
"Keep asking, I like it when you beg." Henry looked at Bucky while he said this. Bucky's finger got ever so closer to the trigger and Ellie clenched her jaw. "C'mon, say please."
"I'm not going to say please, I could stick you with an icicle right now." Ellie raised her voice and vapor escaped her mouth. "Tell me what the Flagsmashers' plan is."
"No, I'm not going to," Henry's voice became cold. "Because you didn't ask fucking nicely, and you didn't follow my simple fucking instructions of coming here alone. You make things so fucking difficult, you know that right?"
Ellie was suddenly reminded of why she left Henry, other than the insanity and killing Bell. Suddenly she felt her anger boil over.
"Fuck you," she blurted. It was childish, she knew that.
Henry's lip twitched and his eyes flicked to Bucky with a look of dark mischief. "Was it everything you dreamed?"
Bucky didn't respond. He kept his cold stare on Henry and fought everything in his power to not pull the trigger.
"Don't you remember what I told you? I was right about her wasn't I?" Henry narrowed his eyes and glanced pointedly at Ellie.
Bucky froze. His cold gaze dropped and he was powerless. Suddenly he was back in the HYDRA base, strapped down to a chair while Henry sat in front of him, talking nonsense that made sense now.
Henry reached into his back pocket. "Hey, sweetheart."
"What?" Ellie replied with a sharp tone and she immediately hated herself for responding to the pet name.
"It's a trap."
Henry pulled a grenade from his pocket and threw it to their side. Bucky pulled the trigger on his gun and Henry dodged the bullet, quickly making his escape. Bucky turned to grab Ellie as the grenade landed in front of them. Ellie reached out and a dome of ice formed around the grenade as Bucky pulled her out of the building. Flames billowed behind them as they ran out the door and jumped to the grass for cover. Ellie immediately got to her feet and turned to face the blazing building. Henry must have planted more explosives when he got there because the booming sounds did not cease and more flames licked up to the sky. Rock and rumble fell from the inside of the building.
"Ellie, get away from there," Bucky said as he got to his feet. He pulled Ellie back by her arm and took them further from the building. "Damn it, I almost had him. If I ever see him again I'm going to-- Agh! I hate him!"
Bucky realized that there was no response from Ellie and he turned to her again. She remained facing the burning building, stone still. Bucky walked around to stand in front of her and his gaze softened at her expression. Ellie's eyes stared straight ahead. She almost looked numb but Bucky could see the deep hurt in her eyes.
"Are you okay?" He asked, but he already knew the answer. At least he thought he did.
The hurt in Ellie's eyes slowly turned to anger and then hatred. Bucky swore her pupils got smaller and he almost took a step back. A circle of frost extended from her feet, but spared the small perimeter around Bucky, and raced across the grass, past the trees, and towards the burning building. The frost turned to ice as it crept up the walls of the building like growing vines, snuffing out the flames as it went and covering parts of the building. The ice melted and reformed as Ellie stared at the building. Almost all the flames were gone when Bucky touched her arm because he could see her face growing weary.
"That's enough, Snow Angel."
The noise of the burning building was replaced with searing water as the ice cracked and melted. Ellie's eyes softened back to the hurt gaze and she looked at Bucky.
"I'm going to kill him."
Bucky blinked. He couldn't find why he was so taken aback. He should have known. Bucky almost laughed as he tilted his head back and stared at the sky that had begun to look hazy from the smoke.
"Yeah, well... Get in line," he said with a sigh.
"Can we leave now?" Ellie asked.
Bucky looked back down at Ellie and she had returned to staring at the building.
"Yeah, we can go," Bucky said as he reached to touch her shoulder.
For the first time since her panic attack in Wakanda when her walls went down, Ellie shied away from his touch. It was almost a flinch. Not out of fear, just out of discomfort and she didn't want to be touched. She moved her shoulder away in a quick movement and Bucky pulled his hand back. He wasn't sure what to say, what to do. He knew he couldn't take the gesture personally, because it wasn't against him, but part of him couldn't help it. Bucky drew in a deep breath and he looked at the jet that had revealed itself.
"Where do you want to go?" He asked. "Home?"
"No," Ellie said. "Not yet."
Bucky nodded. He thought for a minute, then came up with an idea. He knew someone who could cheer her up.
"What's Louisiana like this time of year?" Bucky asked aloud. Ellie furrowed her brows and looked up at him with a bemused expression. "Let's find out."
Bucky tilted his head toward the jet and began to walk. Ellie hesitantly followed behind and they boarded the jet. Ellie sat down in a seat and leaned her head back. Bucky told Ayo where they wanted to go and she started up the jet without hesitation. Bucky sat down next to Ellie and waited silently. Slowly, Ellie reached over and grabbed for his hand, which he gladly accepted and he held on tight.