Captain America 1. Chapter 1

_''Increase serum dosage,'' _

_''Get Dr. Zola, he'll want to know they're waking up,''_

Bucky couldn't feel anything as his eyes opened slowly, a bright light in his face. There were machines of some sort all around the room, but he couldn't get up. His body was strapped to a chair as if he was a mental patient, and he didn't have the strength yet to even tug against them. He felt weird, like he had just passed out. His head hurt, and the feeling in his body was starting to come back, except for his left arm, he couldn't feel it at all.

That's when he looked down and saw that it wasn't even there. There was no flesh, only metal. His whole arm had been replaced with metal, but for some reason Bucky wasn't afraid of it. Somehow he was expecting it. He remembered having a dream about falling, and there was snow, and a man was telling him he was going to be okay, that something was working. At least he thought it was a dream.

The people around him acted as if he wasn't there, ignoring his groans as he tried to move. When he turned his head to the right, he saw another chair just like the one he was strapped to, with a woman in it. Her head was lolling to each side as she drifted in and out of consciousness. Bucky looked over her body, wondering if she too had a metal substitute for a limb, but he couldn't see anything. When he looked back over to her face once she moved, he realized he knew her. He didn't know how, or who she was to him, but he worried about her and couldn't help the overwhelming need to protect her from whatever was going on. He felt like he dreamed about her too, like he knew her and they were both trying to help each other get away from something, but all of his memories were blurry.

''Sergeant Barnes, everything is working perfectly,'' Zola looked over the man with a smile, specifically admiring the metal arm. ''It is stronger than you know, but your strength will return to you when it's necessary,''

''What happened to me?'' Bucky asked, not taking a liking to the man.

''Something wonderful Sergeant Barnes. You've been quite the experiment. You're both going to be very important to Hydra, however your power is significantly heightened with this bionic limb,'' Zola explained.

Bucky was terribly confused. He couldn't remember how he got here or what they did to him, and nothing was making sense. Bucky knew this man somehow also, but he held no feelings of care toward him at all. Instead, he turned and looked over to the woman again and noticed her eyes opening and closing slowly as if she was finally waking up.

''What did you do to her?'' Bucky asked.

''The same thing we did to you. You have both been given a gift that will change the world. Strength, power, everything a soldier needs to fight a war. But you're both worth more than an average soldier, since this is no average war,'' Zola told him, walking over to the woman. ''However you both have different...specialties, of course,''

Bucky looked closer and could see something beneath the woman's skin, glowing like an electrical spark through her body. Zola lifted her hand and inspected her palm, muttering something to the people around him before they ran a tube of clear liquid into her veins. She wasn't waking up properly, she wasn't completely conscious as Bucky was, but he could hear her groaning in fear and confusion before she settled back into silence.

''What's wrong with her?''

Zola turned to Bucky, a proud grin on his face as he looked over the woman once more.

''Like I said, different specialties,'' he told him before turning to one of the others. ''Update the log, we've made significant progress today,''

A man walked in front of Bucky and looked over his chart, bringing a device to his lips as he spoke.

''James Buchanan Barnes, September 1947, subject has awoken and is responding to serums and treatments. Subject is weak but regaining normal strength. Use of cybernetic arm is minimum, but successful,'' he told the machine.

Bucky was very familiar with his name. James Buchanan Barnes. It sounded so formal, as if he was someone important. He was in the war, he remembered that. He remembered fighting alongside his fellow soldiers, and Zola was calling his Sergeant Barnes. Had they won the war? Bucky couldn't even remember it ending. He remembered Steve being in the war as well, saving Bucky from something, but he couldn't remember what, and then all he could think of was the dream he had about falling again.

''Rosalie Anne Waters, September 1944, subject approached consciousness however struggled...''

''Rosalie,'' Bucky whispered, giving himself comfort in knowing her name as he looked over to her.

''Subject's body is responding well to inner durability control,''

The man finished up speaking to the machine in his hand and walked out of the room with a file. Bucky looked over to the woman he now knew as Rosalie, wondering what the inner durability control meant, but it wasn't too long before he realized it referred to whatever was under her skin that made it spark every now and then. Zola's words made sense to him now. They each had their own specialties. Bucky has his cybernetic arm, and Rosalie a durability control system. They were experiments.

* * *

It was hours later when everyone had left the room, but they were still monitoring them from the outside somewhere for security reasons. Bucky heard them saying that he could gain a dangerous amount of strength and so could Rosalie, and everyone had to be careful around them now that they were awake. He still didn't know what their purpose was, why Zola had experimented and done this to them. He just wanted to know what had happened. How he got here, what happened in the war, why he lost his arm, and why he was here.

''I can't run,''

Bucky looked over to the chair not far from his, seeing the woman shaking her head as if she was speaking to someone. Her arms and legs were bound to the chair, just as his was, and she was pulling on them tightly. She was having a nightmare.

''I can't run!'' she said again, gritting her teeth. ''I'm stuck!''

''Rosalie,'' Bucky called out.

The woman turned her head to him, her eyes wide and alert. His voice had pulled her out of whatever she was dreaming about, and she continued staring at him as he watched her. She didn't know what was going on, where she was or what they'd done to her, but she knew him. She remembered being in the same situation before. They were in the same chairs, in the same room, but they were trying to run. But she couldn't remember why.

''I know you,'' she spoke quietly.

_''Bucky, run!'' Rosalie shouted as she reached the door, watching as Bucky made it to the next exit in front of her._

_''Rosalie!'' he turned to see her holding herself up by the door frame and ran back to her, sliding his arms around her waist to help her. ''We gotta keep moving,''_

_''Bucky you have to get out,'' she told him. ''What they've done to me, it's not done yet, I'm too weak,''_

_''No! I'm not leaving you here!'' he shook his head angrily. ''We're getting out of here and we're gonna be fine,''_

_''I want you to get out, get away from here,'' she pleaded._

_''And I will,'' he looked to her. ''_We _will. But we have to stay together, I'm not leaving you,''_

''I know you too,'' Bucky nodded. ''But...I don't know how,''

''I dreamed about you,'' she told him, echoing his thoughts. ''Except I don't think they were dreams,''

''I was protecting you,'' he tried to sit up.

They looked at each other for a while, and Rosalie began to move forcefully. She ripped her arms from the straps and freed her ankles, standing up clumsily. The veins in her arms sparked inside her arm like it was full of wires, and she couldn't remember if they were or not.

''They're watching us,''

''Then we have to move fast,'' she told him, walking over to free him as well. ''Listen, I can't remember why we're here, but I know we have to go. I dreamed about being here, it's not safe,''

Bucky didn't know what she was talking about, but he knew he could trust her. Their dreams weren't really dreams, at least they didn't feel like it. Bucky knew he was in the war, he remember something happening, and if Rosalie dreamed about something bad happening, he trusted that it was right.

''How can you do that?'' he asked as Rosalie ripped the straps away from his hands.

''I don't know,'' she shook her head, rubbing her temples. ''But we're getting out of here,''

Bucky was surprised by how much he trusted her. She didn't even explain things to him properly, not that she could since she didn't know what to believe herself, but he believed her. She knew she had to go, and she wasn't leaving Bucky. If it was a dream or it did actually happen, she knew Bucky wouldn't leave her either.

They managed to walk from the chairs they'd been strapped in to the door, but it opened before they got there. Rosalie hoped they'd be quick enough, but she was unaware of how much security they were under.

''Update log,'' Zola smiled. ''The subjects are ready for another dose,''

''Get away,'' Rosalie stepped back, grabbing Bucky's arm. ''Don't touch us,''

''My dear Rosalie, I'm so proud of your progress,'' Zola walked toward them. ''Such power. Seize them both,''

Before Bucky or Rosalie could see them coming, four men came at them with syringes, stabbing them into their arms. Their bodies immediately became immobile, and as they both protested as loud as they could, they were dragged from the room and into the next.

There were two machines in the room, and neither of them looked pleasant.

''Rosalie!'' Bucky yelled, looking over to her. ''Get off me!''

They got Rosalie in the machine first, and Bucky silenced himself as he watched on, terrified.

''What are you doing to me!'' she cried.

''What is necessary for you both to fit your purpose,'' Zola told them, walking in. ''You are to do one thing with the gift you've been given, and to do that, you need to be able to think clearly,''

Rosalie was pushed back into the chair as the machine grabbed her arms, securing her. Then two plated slid down over her head, adjusting around her as it whirred to life. Then what came next was the blood curdling scream from the woman's mouth as the electrical currents ran through her head.

Bucky watched on with wide eyes until he was pulled back into the other machine do to the same. They were torturing them like lab rats. Their dreams weren't really dreams, they were memories that had been burnt by these machines. He had no idea how long this had been going on, or how many times they'd tried to escape before and couldn't remember.

But he did know one thing. After he was taken off the machine, when the plates stopped frying his brain, he wouldn't remember a thing about it.

* * *

**Hey guys! So this is a new story, I got very inspired after seeing Captain America The Winter Soldier. I wrote like three different stories and deleted them all because I couldn't make my mind up about which I preferred to write about, until I wrote this one. It's a much more darker story and it's more serious than my others. I've studied the background of The Winter Soldier and what happened, but this is a fanfiction so it's not going to be accurate at all really, my imagination just goes on a roll. I like the idea of two 'winter soldiers', but as the story goes on it won't be like that. I have a lot planned for this story so I hope you guys enjoy and follow it! Thanks!**

**Also I am continuing my other stories as well, but it depends how my inspiration goes in terms of which will be updated more. Thank you! **

**PLEASE REVIEW! **


	2. Chapter 2

_2 Months later_

''You understand what your mission is, Barnes?''

Bucky looked down at the table in front of him, expressionless. They'd been in this room for hours, just him and the other man. There was an electrical device hooked up to Bucky's head, but it was only used when he didn't answer the questions correctly. He'd been through training, learning what the world was now and leaving any memories of his past behind. Except for one thing.

He didn't understand why, but he always responded to the name Rosalie. They'd show him pictures of her and when he'd say he knew her, the electrical currents began buzzing through his brain, but he memories of that woman didn't fade away like the rest did. It was the same for Rosalie when they did this on her too, and neither of them knew why they felt connected. The scientists narrowed it down to having similar experiences in here, but nothing explained why their memories of one another couldn't be wiped. But they both began to lie and say no when people would ask them about one another, claiming they didn't remember, because it was the only way to stop the pain.

''Barnes,'' the man pulled Bucky out of his blank stare. ''You understand your mission?''

Bucky nodded.

* * *

Rosalie looked down at her arms, looking at the veins she could so easily see through her skin. There was no sparking anymore, no flashing light inside. She'd been in the machine for the last time over a month ago, and since then she'd been briefed on what she was capable of and what was expected of her.

Inside her body, specially altered wires ran through her arms and legs, giving her strength that she'd never had before. She couldn't be hurt as easily as a human, she had powerful durability. Just as Bucky's cybernetic arm was stronger and more durable, Rosalie's body mirrored the same effect. She still wasn't sure how it worked, she had no understanding of such technology, but the scientists and specialists that continued to inform her of her condition assured her it was possible, and she was proof of that.

''Sir, we're heading out in 10 minutes. Are you sure that it's still a good idea to put them on this mission together?''

The soldier was talking to the man in charge who was supervising Rosalie strap her weapons onto her body. They still didn't think the subjects could be trusted. She pushed knives into her belt, strapped guns to her hips and hid other weapons all over her, and she did so with a dark yet blank expression on her face as if she didn't care who she was going to kill that day.

''They were made to work together, it's only necessary we see how they operate on the field with one another. They have no memories of one another, we've made sure of that. They're ready,''

Rosalie ignored how they spoke of her as if she wasn't there, pulling on her leather fingerless gloves as she stepped in front of the mirror to make sure everything was in place. Her eyes were covered in black paint and her brown hair sat below her shoulders, covering most of her face. She wore completely black overalls with knee high boots, belts and straps everywhere to hold her weapons.

She'd been in training for weeks to prepare herself for the first mission, and fighting came easily to her. Rosalie was a combat and operations coordinator during the war, training soldiers at military camps. That's where she took Zola's attention when Schmidt took a closer look at where the soldiers in his capture had come from. For the experiment, Zola initially wanted just one person to test his technology on, but the idea of testing it on a male and female subject enticed him to capture both Bucky and Rosalie for the project.

''They haven't interacted in months,'' the soldier spoke again. ''Are you sure, sir?''

''Just make sure they don't kill each other,''

* * *

The back of the plane they were travelling in was full of soldiers headed into battle. They were somewhere in Russia and were going to be dropped just outside the city they were being sent to. The Commander had given them all orders, but it was clear that the subjects were to be the biggest assets to their team, the rest of the soldiers were to clear the way or divert any threats that would get in the way of their target.

Bucky stood at the back behind all of the soldiers as he thought over tactics in his head. His orders were clear and he was going to make sure nothing got in the way of it. They were warned the person they were targeting could have extensive security measures and powerful weapons, and Bucky ran over strategies in his mind of how he was going to get around them with ease. Rosalie stood at the front of the group looking over a photo of the man she'd been assigned to eliminate that she held in her left hand as she toyed with a switchblade knife in her right.

''Are Barnes and Waters ready?'' the Commander asked over the radio as the plane lowered.

''Yes sir,''

''Get them out first,''

Rosalie slipped the switchblade back into her pocket and turned to stand in front of the large door that would be opening soon. Bucky walked through the group and stood beside her, waiting for his opportunity to jump from the plane. It wasn't until the soldiers began to step back as the plane lowered closer to the ground that Bucky and Rosalie looked at each other.

They knew who each other were. Those names they couldn't forget no matter how many times they went into that machine, they knew now who they were. Rosalie's eyes widened as she realized she knew the man, and Bucky stared back as though she meant the world to him. But they couldn't remember why they felt this way, or how they even knew each other.

''Drop!''

They both turned back to the opening in the plane, and Rosalie was the first to jump. It wasn't a long drop since the plane had lowered significantly and once she tumbled onto the ground, she began running through the woods to get to the city. Bucky wasn't far behind her, trying to get his mind back on the job as he pulled on a pair of thick black goggles.

The soldiers had already made it to the city and began guarding areas where Rosalie and Bucky would exit. Their target was a political leader for a party that Hydra had been watching closely, and it had reached the point where they had to be eliminated. Sending in soldiers was pointless, they wouldn't get the job done without being captured or killed, but Rosalie and Bucky were trained not to care about anything else. They firmly believed this man had to die and they weren't going to let him get away. However they each had their orders to carry out.

Rosalie made it to the building first, shooting down the first two people she seen who began to reach for their weapons. Bucky followed behind, taking a different route straight to the target as Rosalie took down anyone who'd get in his way. Four floors up, where the target was supposed to be, a group of men waited outside an office once they'd heard what was going on.

''Stay back!'' one warned as Rosalie continued walking toward them.

The man shot at her and she easily avoided it, walking over and grabbing his by his throat. The man yelped and screamed as the others watched on before she dropped his unconscious body to the ground. It was easy taking out the rest of them without using a gun or weapon, and then she walked through the door.

Bucky had already gotten to him before she did. The targets body was lifeless in the corner of the room, unable to stop Bucky from ripping apart his desk in order to find what he'd been sent here to take. It was a small black box that contained information about Hydra that the target planned to leak when the time was right, and now it would be back in their hands.

Rosalie looked on as he rummaged through the desk. She knew him, she was sure of it. He looked so familiar, like she'd known him for years and had just found him again. This was Bucky Barnes, the man whose name she couldn't forget and the one she was punished for remembering. The person she pretended she had no memory of, and she had no idea why. Bucky could feel her eyes on him, but he couldn't look up. He had already seen too much of her, it had tampered with his mind enough. He didn't know why he knew her, but he did, he was positive about that. The people at the labs didn't like him remembering her and he needed to know why before he could allow himself to feel the way he did about her.

She soon broke her gaze and walked over to the window, making sure there was nothing outside in their way. They'd made a rather low key entrance and they took care of anyone else inside the building. Bucky looked up as Rosalie watched outside the window, noticing the man in the corner lifting up his hand and aiming a gun at her. Without thinking twice, without doing what he was assigned and grabbing the information, Bucky jumped over the desk.

''Rose!" he shouted.

He jumped behind her and pulled his metal arm up quick enough so the bullet could easily bounce off, shielding her from it.

The man was dead before he could pull the trigger again.

* * *

_Bucky watched as the woman strapped down in the bed beside him squirmed against her restraints. He could almost hear her gritting her teeth through the pained groans as she tried to calm her breathing. Whatever liquid they were hooked up to, it felt like acid running through your veins. It made every part of your body burn and your head feel like it was going to explode. It was far from pleasant. _

_They didn't know each other or why they were here. They didn't know much at all about what was going on. The last thing Bucky remembered was falling, he thought he was dead until he woke up in this place with a metal arm that he couldn't even use. At first he thought they were doctors saving his life, but it had become clear they were something very different. It had been over a week since he would fully understand he was awake and could comprehend what they were doing to him, and to her. _

_''Try to ignore it,'' he suggested, looking over to her. ''I'm trying, seems to help,''_

_''It's not that easy,'' she panted, trying to free herself._

_''The more you move, the worse it feels, trust me,''_

_''Why should I?'' _

_The woman turned her head to him, seeing that he was in the same position as she was. But she didn't know him, and she couldn't trust him. There was nothing trustworthy about this place. However she stilled her body, biting down on her lip as the pain coursed through her and slowly began to die down._

_''See?'' he smiled lightly, trying to help her calm down._

_''What are they doing to us?'' she asked in a sad voice._

_Bucky sighed, wishing he knew._

_''I don't know, but we'll be okay,''_

_''How do you know that?'' she looked back over to him._

_''Because we're gonna get out of here, I know it,''_

_Bucky saw how relaxed she became when talking to him, so he began to keep the conversation going. He hadn't talked to her before now, but they'd been with each other through this whole thing. The pain, the trauma, and they were going to stay together because it was their only hope._

_''What's your name?'' he asked, noticing her hesitation. ''My names James Barnes, but I like Bucky,''_

_The woman smiled over to him, appreciating his effort. It really was helping to keep her mind off the pain running through her._

_''My names Rosalie Waters, but...'' she hesitated again. ''I like Rose,''_

_Bucky smiled as she did too, realizing for the first time that he wouldn't be alone in this, and neither would she._

_''Well Rose, looks like we're all each other's got now,''_

* * *

**SO, I hope you guys are liking this story. Like I said, this one's going to be a lot more complex, darker and hopefully have a very interesting back story and history between the characters. I like the idea of sharing a bond over something so traumatic that they can't forget each other, although that will be explained in further chapters. I know some of you are confused as to what Rosalie's 'specialties' are and I've tried to briefly explain in this chapter, but I promise I'll explain it all a lot clearer in future chapters. Anyway, hope you're interested in seeing more of this story. Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

''We had snipers on them the whole time sir, in case they turned on one another,'' the soldier explained to the Commander when they were back at the base. ''I saw him cover her,''

''He protected her?'' the Commander shook his head in disbelief. ''He doesn't know who she is,''

''He said her name, sir,''

The Commander looked up at the soldier, wondering if he was being serious. Their memories had been wiped, they'd been trained to forget one another, and yet somehow they still know. It couldn't be possible, not after what their minds had gone through.

''Impossible. Their names weren't mentioned to one another,''

''Yes sir, but...''

The Commander sat back in his chair, wondering how this could have happened. Zola had assured him that the subjects were ready to begin missions together, that they had no previous memory of their past life or one another, but they clearly weren't.

''Get the woman down to the lab,'' the Commander sighed. ''Wipe her. Bring Barnes to me,''

* * *

_8 Months later_

Rosalie had been in training for hours, but there was nothing else to do when there was a few days in between missions. She didn't care to converse with them and she didn't want to spend any more time with the people who controlled her than she had to. Her strength was unbelievable due to the system operating beneath her skin. They had performed numerous tests and altered the wires over the months that had gone by, allowing her to complete missions more effectively and quicker.

Ever since their first mission together, Bucky and Rosalie hadn't seen each other again. Rosalie's memory of what happened had been wiped, she knew nothing about Bucky protecting her or even of his existence. Anyone who came in contact with her was ordered not to mention Bucky's name or that there was another soldier like her, she was kept in the dark about everything. However Bucky remembered it all. In order to do tests, the Commander had left Bucky's memories as they were. They still didn't know why their memories of one another couldn't be wiped, so they had no other choice but to separate them for good.

Bucky lived with the knowledge that Rosalie was out there with a clear mind and no memory of him while he suffered with his thoughts. He kept his memories so they could test him and try and solve it, but Bucky only thought of it as a punishment. He had been sent all around the world to kill people for Hydra, just as Rosalie had, but they were on opposite sides of the globe each time. No one would risk them coming together again, not when their memories of one another could ruin the whole project.

''Barnes, you're up,''

Bucky looked down at his hands, clenching them into fists. Another person he needed to kill for Hydra, the good guys. They kept telling him they were trying to give the world freedom, that they were saving lives by killing them, and that Bucky's sole purpose was to do that for them.

* * *

''You'll be leaving tomorrow morning for a 2 year assignment in Russia,'' The Commander informed Bucky. ''We've got all the assistance we need here,''

Bucky looked up at the man, glaring at him. He knew what they did to Rosalie, how they wiped her memory of what happened. They spoke about it in front of him as if he wasn't there, as if he didn't mean a thing. He wished they'd rid him of his memory so he wouldn't have to know that he was leaving Rosalie here with these people, not knowing what else they were going to do to her.

Bucky watched as the Commander walked towards the door after taking his silent glare as an approval of the mission. Before he opened the door though, Bucky finally spoke.

''What about her?'' he asked. ''What are you going to do to her?''

The Commander turned around to look at the man who had never heard speak more than one word. The anger in his voice was evident, and the Commander was glad there were soldiers outside the door if anything happened. He knew what Bucky was capable of.

''Send her into battle, to do what she'd made to do,'' he answered. ''She's forgotten all about you, and you'd do well to do the same,''

''You made her forget,'' Bucky corrected. ''So why don't you just do the same to me? You've finished all your tests on me, so just do it,''

The Commander continued over to the door.

''I'm sure sending you to Russia will do just the same,''

Bucky glared toward the man who walked out of the door, wishing he could snap his neck. When he was left alone once again in the room, he looked down at his cybernetic arm as he clenched his fist in frustration. If he was going to be forced away from the only memories he could remember, knowing that he probably would never see Rosalie again, then he wanted nothing more than to forget about her.

* * *

The next morning came just like the others, without Bucky even knowing. Without sleep, Bucky had passed the hours staring at the wall in front of him while spinning a knife through his fingers. He wanted to leave now, he wanted to be as far away from this place as he could possibly be. He already knew what his first task would be, and it was one that he had set himself. He was going to fail. Whatever they asked him to do, he would bring her up until they had to wipe his memory again.

Rosalie was in training again that day as well, except this time she was unsupervised. There had been no missions for days now and since that was her purpose here, she was useless.

''Cryo is the only option,'' one of the scientists told the Commander as he stood outside her door. ''She'll grow restless of this routine, it's dangerous for everyone to keep her here like this,''

''Can't you just send her off with Barnes? Another country, more missions, she wouldn't be a problem,'' one of the soldiers suggested.

''No,'' the Commander shook his head. ''Not an option, I don't care how long it's been,''

''Sir, a decision needs to be made,''

''Cryo it is,''

The Commander authorized everything quickly before walking off, having somewhere to be. He didn't care if Rosalie had to be put in cryo-freeze for weeks or months, as long as she wasn't causing a problem to him. Hydra had to go into the shadows for a while, in America at least. Bucky's services were needed in Russia since the Commander suggested his absence would be best.

They hadn't put either of them in cryo-freeze yet, but it was recommended by Zola, the man who turned them into what they were. Bucky and Rosalie were more dangerous than any of these men, which meant their assistance was only required when absolutely necessary. In the meantime, they were put on hold until they were needed, but Zola warned neither of them would go willingly.

''Waters,'' the soldier called out when he entered the training room. ''Come with me,''

Rosalie looked over to the man, waiting for him to elaborate on his request or brief her on a mission, but he didn't. She immediately stopped hitting the bag in front of her and walked over to him, stopping to study his expression. Rosalie was a trained assassin now, that's what they had done to her, and she knew when someone was hiding something.

''What for?'' she asked.

''Classified,''

The soldier reached out for her arm, pulling a syringe out of his pocket. He needed to sedate her in order to take her down to the lab, but she was faster than he was. She grabbed his arm and twisted it behind him until she heard a snap and a cry of pain, then took the syringe from his other hand and stabbed it into his shoulder. The man immediately dropped to the floor unconscious as soon as the syringe was emptied. They had turned on her.

''Waters!'' another man came to the door. ''We need security!'' he shouted to the others.

The man was silenced moments later when Rosalie walked over to him, grabbing him by his throat and tossing him into the back wall. Outside her room, a man in a long white coat stood near a table, closing a folder. His arms immediately went up in the air, knowing he was no match for her. They'd been reviewing her, looking over everything about her that they knew and had done to her. They needed to log what was going on, make sure her file was up to date for when they took her out of cryo, and now it was in Rosalie's hands.

''Waters! Stand down now!'' a security guard shouted from the end of the hall, holding a gun at her as she walked toward him.

When she didn't stop, the guard fired a bullet right into her shoulder. Rosalie stopped for a moment, looking down at the blood trickling out of the wound before she ran forward, grabbing the guard's gun and slamming it into the side of his head. The next two people in her way were shot down until she made it to the exit of the area just as the alarms began.

Bucky heard the gunshots before the alarm. He was being escorted out to the waiting car that would take him to the jet, but all of that was halted when the facility lit up with red lights and alarms blaring. Bucky stood still as he watched people rush through the doors toward whatever was going on. He wasn't going to help, they could deal with their own problems themselves, especially since they were sending him off to another country. He just wanted to leave, he couldn't be here any longer.

However something screamed out to him. Rosalie's voice felt as though it was piercing through his brain as she screamed out amid gunshots. His eyes widened as he realized it was her they were after. Bucky began walking over to the door before he even realized it.

''You can't go-''

Bucky knocked the soldier to the floor with his metal arm, making sure he didn't get back up. Rosalie took down every person that came at her, but not without suffering a few wounds of her own. Her body wasn't made of metal, bullets could still hurt her and they continued to do so as soldiers and security guards tried to stop her from getting closer to the exit.

When Bucky pushed through the doors, grabbing the gun off the man he faced, Rosalie paused. Someone she knew was walking toward her, the only person she knew. She was so confused as to how she knew him, who he was or what he was doing, but she didn't have the time to question it. He was shooting people down around her, protecting her, and she resumed fighting against them.

''Rosalie!'' he called out. ''We gotta go!''

Rosalie didn't know whether she could trust him or not, but out of all the people surrounding her right now, he was the only one she would be willing to. But nothing made sense to her right now.

''Barnes, stand down!'' The Commander shouted to him as he took cover behind a door frame.

_Barnes_. Rosalie knew that name.

''Bucky,''

''We have to go!'' he shouted back. ''Come on!''

Rosalie rushed behind him as they got out the door. She didn't know where they were going or who he really was, but she had to keep running. It had been days since she had breathed fresh air, but it was the last thing on her mind when they made it outside. Bucky lead her to a car and got into the driver's seat, remembering how to drive one from a previous mission he had done. The passenger door slammed shut and Bucky looked over to Rosalie, but he was pushed back into his seat and she held a knife to his throat.

''Who are you!'' she shouted, pushing the metal to his skin. ''Tell me!''

Bucky could see how confused she was, her eyes wide with a thousand questions she needed answers to.

''You know me,''

''But why!''

''Rose,'' he grabbed her wrist. ''Trust me,''

''You know me...'' she slowly backed away. ''What's going on?''

Bucky looked at her for a moment, hearing the alarms blaring outside of the building now. They couldn't stay here any longer.

''We have to go,''


	4. Chapter 4

_Rosalie looked over to the man beside her sitting in his chair, his arm in a sling after the people in white coats had worked on it all morning. They'd been awake for days now, witnessing what their captors were doing to them. Rosalie's arms had stitches all over them that they were constantly tinkering with, although the liquid that was being fed to their veins through tubes made them too weak to fight against anything._

_Rosalie saw how scared Bucky looked as he stared up at the roof, breathing heavily. They hadn't been put into separate rooms, all of the experiments and scientists had to be all together so they could monitor their progress. They saw what each other was going through._

_''You still with me, Bucky?'' she asked quietly, wondering if he was slipping into madness._

_Bucky's head tilted to the side to looked over to her with a nod and a reassuring smile, although it was small and held no resemblance of happiness._

_''Yeah,'' he murmured softly. ''Barely,''_

_''Don't back down yet,'' she encouraged. ''We still have to get out of this place, remember? We have to work on our plan,''_

_Bucky softly chuckled, closing his eyes as he remembered making that promise to her. It was only a few days ago, but it was a much better time than right now. Since they'd woken up, they'd had countless tests and been experimented on with numerous serums, some so painful they blacked out. This place was a hell, but at least they had each other to go through it with._

_''Does is hurt?'' she asked, seeing him try to steady his breathing._

_The liquid was running through his veins making him weaker and weaker while his arm healed. But to make him weaker, it put him in pain. Bucky nodded his head, running his hand over his sweaty forehead with his arm before letting it slump over the side of the chair. Rosalie had the same tubes hooked up to her as well, but she wasn't in as much pain. Bucky was stronger than she was right now, which meant his dosage was much higher. Rosalie leaned over and reached out, grabbing his hand in hers. It was the only comfort she could give him, and Bucky looked over to her thankfully._

* * *

They had been driving for a while now, making sure they were clear of the base they were at. There was no plan, at least not yet. They hadn't spoken since leaving the base, Bucky just stared at the road ahead of him while the rain poured down and Rosalie focused on ridding herself of the bullets lodged in her shoulder and arms.

The bullets had done more than just penetrate her flesh, they'd also damaged some of the wiring inside her arm. Her veins lit up with sparks from the wires and she clenched her fist, trying to regain some strength and hoping it would heal itself. Any other time her internal system as they called it was damaged, one of the scientists or specialists would fix it up, but this time she would have to deal with it.

''Where are we going?'' Rosalie asked when she looked up at the unfamiliar road.

''Seattle,'' Bucky told her, looking at the sign they passed. ''Need to find shelter, new transport, they'll be tracking us,''

Rosalie looked down at her hands, looking at the wires underneath that seemed so obvious to her now. She assumed they were to help her with assignments, but nothing made sense anymore. She didn't know what they had done to her.

''They turned on us, didn't they?''

''They were never with us,'' Bucky corrected. ''Everything they've done, everything you can remember...none of it's real,''

Bucky could see how confused Rosalie was, but she had to know. She was only just finding out about this now whereas Bucky had known for months now. Hydra let him keep his memories, torturing Bucky every day.

''They've been wiping your memories,'' he explained.

''Then why do I know you?'' she asked again.

''I don't know,'' Bucky answered honestly. ''But we're not supposed to, that's why you haven't seen me,''

''But you still have your memories,''

''No I don't. They've done the same to me as they did to you, but I can always remember you. We were on a mission a while ago and...we knew each other. I protected you from a bullet and so they wiped your memory of it and split us up, but they made me keep mine,''

Rosalie looked away from him, trying to gather her muddled thoughts. She felt as though she had all the memories she needed, but there was so much missing. She didn't know who she really was anymore, or who she had been this whole time. Hydra had turned her into a whole new person, she could have had another life out there somewhere, but she didn't even know where to start.

''I thought you didn't exist,'' she closed her eyes, trying to concentrate. ''I had these dreams, I remember talking to you and...we were friends. But I just thought I was imagining everything,''

Bucky gripped the steering wheel, remembering when he thought he was imagining them too.

''I had the same dreams,''

There was a moment of silence before Rosalie remembered the file she had slipped inside her jacket. She unzipped it, reaching underneath her belt and pulling the papers onto her lap. The file was more important to her now than ever. She'd taken it in attempt to find out why they had sent someone to sedate her, but now she realized it hid much more than she thought.

Rosalie didn't open the file until they'd found a different car to continue driving in. When they made it to Seattle, they both decided to steal a car parked outside of a club and make their way out of the town. Hydra was everywhere, they knew how they worked, and they knew that they would have plenty of people looking for them. The vehicle they stole most likely had a tracking device installed with Hydra's technology which would lead them to Seattle, but Bucky and Rosalie would be far away by then. There was still no plan as to where they were going, but for now, they were safe.

''Rosalie Anne Waters,''

Bucky looked over and saw Rosalie beginning to read her file. He already knew her full name, for some reason he had put it together within the many months he had to think about it. He didn't know what would be in the file or what she would be getting herself into, but he had no right to stop her. They'd both already been deprived of their identity for long enough.

''I was in the army, a combat supervisor,'' she read out loud, trying to believe it. ''That...can't be right,''

Bucky glanced between the road and Rosalie as she continued reading. There was far too much to look over all at once, but she just wanted to see what they'd done to her. It was true what Bucky had told her, she had no memory of doing anything that the file documented. The army and the war was all a cloudy memory for her. She knew there was a war, but she couldn't remember anything about it. Hydra told her she was fighting an entirely different war, fighting for them.

The uncomfortable sighs and gasps continued as she flipped the pages, seeing pictures of her body as people cut open her arms and legs, fitting in the wires next to her veins. She looked like she was dead in the photos, her whole body pale like a corpse.

_Subject failing to respond. _

_Subject unresponsive for months. _

_Subjects body reacting to serum. _

_Both subjects beginning to respond to serums. _

Rosalie skipped a few pages until she reached one that explained why all of this happened.

_Both subjects expected to be ready for combat in two months. _

_Enforcement groups will be able to use both subjects as assets in obtaining information and fighting against any threats. _

_They are to be used only when necessary and are to be kept hidden. _

_Cryo-freeze is highly recommended for when subjects are not of use. _

_They are not human._

Rosalie paused and read over the last line multiple times. They had been referred to as subjects throughout this entire file, but she never realized that it meant she wasn't human. She closed the file and threw it to the floor, turning to look away from Bucky as she felt his eyes on her. He had had more time to adjust and accept this than she had, but he was still just as lost as she was, and he understood.

Bucky remembered the smallest things from his life before whatever this was. He'd had almost a year with the knowledge of Hydra wiping their memories, and for a while he believed they were doing it to help them. But as he tried to remember what he'd missed, he remembered falling. It played over in his mind again and again, it was the only thing about his past life that he remembered, and he didn't even know if it was real.

''We come with instructions,'' she told him, shaking her head in disbelief. ''We're...I don't know what we are,''

''We're getting the hell away from them, that's what we are,'' Bucky looked over to her. ''We're not in their control anymore,''

''How do you know that? How do you know that this isn't all planned? They've planned everything about us, they've wiped our memories so we don't even know what's going on,'' she argued.

''Because I _say _we're not in their control,'' Bucky explained, rubbing his head as it began to ache. ''We...we just have to get away, we have to hide for a while,''

Rosalie watched as Bucky tried to focus on the road, the rain still trickling down outside. His eyes seemed strained, and he looked like he was in pain. Bucky's head felt like it was going to explode, but he had become used to dealing with pain. He still felt it though, and he took a few deep breaths to try and stop the surging in his brain.

''Bucky?'' Rosalie said in a soft voice. ''Bucky?''

* * *

_''Bucky? Bucky, look at me! Bucky!'' _

_Bucky could feel his body shaking, but his eyes wouldn't open. He was having a nightmare, but it felt so real. His arm hurt more than any pain he'd ever felt before, he could feel a searing burn running through his body but he couldn't wake up. The hands on his shoulders shook him, trying to bring him out of whatever trance he was in, and he could hear her voice clearer than anything else. It was so soothing. With all the people that came and experimented on him, that put him in pain and spoke about him like he was just an object to be altered, there was only one voice that was friendly. Only one voice that belonged to someone who didn't want to hurt him and who wouldn't. _

_''Bucky!'' Rosalie shook him as he laid down, trying to get a response._

_Bucky's eyes flew open moments later, a loud gasp escaping from his throat. His eyes were wide and alert as he looked around the room, trying to focus on whether he had been dreaming or not. But instead of pain and fear, he was met with Rosalie staring back at him with worry. Her arms were bandaged up and she looked just as pale as he was, but she hadn't suffered the nightmares yet, not like he did._

_''Rose,'' he sighed, realizing it was a dream. ''I thought...''_

_''You scared me,'' she took a deep breath. ''I thought you were...I didn't know what to do, you were shaking and screaming-''_

_Rosalie was taken aback when Bucky reached out to her, his arms hugging her to him. She paused for a while, surprised by the action. This place wasn't friendly, there was no comfort here, and it was unfamiliar to her. But after a while, Rosalie put her arms around him as well as held him close just the same. They were both so scared, but neither of them had admitted to it. They tried to be brave and stay confident that they would get out of this, that they'd escape eventually, but things just got worse. They couldn't lose each other, not when that was all they had. _

_''I'm...scared Rose,'' he finally told her with a whisper._

_''I am too,'' she rested her head on his shoulder, his arms not letting her go. ''I'm more than scared, I'm terrified and I can't remember anything before this, I just want to go home, wherever that is, or was,''_

_They remained silent for a while, holding each other protectively as they sat in fear. Everything was getting worse, they didn't know how much time they had left before things were taken up another step, until they were forced to undergo things much worse._

_''Promise me if...when we get out of this place, we go together,'' Rosalie spoke quietly, breaking the silence._

_''I promise,''_

* * *

**Hey guys hope you're enjoying this story, I have a lot of inspiration and motivation to continue it so please review and let me know if you're interested in reading more, and thanks for reading so far :)**


	5. Chapter 5

It was late in the night when they finally reached somewhere far enough away to stay. Hydra would be looking for them, they couldn't stay in one place for too long but they couldn't risk staying on the road for much longer either. They'd found an abandoned house in a quiet town and after knocking the front door down and searching through it, they'd agreed on hiding there for the night.

''It won't be long until they find us here,'' Rosalie told him, her arms folded as she stood in the living room area, looking out the windows.

Everything she knew had been turned upside down in one day, and she was here with someone she knew she had a history with and couldn't even remember. Nothing made sense. Not her file or what Bucky had told her, it just couldn't be true. But she was positive about how Hydra worked and she knew she had to be on alert.

''We won't stay long, we just have to get off the road for a while,'' he explained, noticing how she stared out the window searching for any sign of threat. ''I can keep watch if you want to sleep,''

Rosalie shook her head and turned to him.

''I can't sleep,''

''Me neither,''

Rosalie continued staring out the window as Bucky took a seat on the couch, looking down at his arm and clenching his fist. He would never get used to having a metal arm, no matter how useful it was in combat.

Although he'd known about their memory loss a lot longer than Rosalie had, Bucky felt like he was reliving the discovery all over again. He reacted just as Rosalie did. He didn't believe that Hydra had done that to him or that it was even possible. However as time when on, he realized it could have been for the best, that Hydra was protecting them as they reinforced just how important they were to giving the world freedom. But it was all a lie, and neither of them knew what to believe.

Bucky was pulled out of his thoughts when Rosalie sat her file on his lap. He held the papers in his hand as he looked up, but she had already turned her back and began walking away.

''That information is as much yours as it is mine,'' she told him.

Bucky stared down at the file again, opening the first page to see her name and details.

''Are you sure?'' he asked, knowing how sensitive their information was at the moment. ''This is your file, everything about you,''

''For some reason I trust you. You're the only one I'd want reading that, and somehow it feels like you already know me anyway,'' she explained, glancing over to him. ''And you deserve to know what they did to us as well. Whatever we went through, we went through it together,''

Bucky watched as she turned away from him again, feeling and overwhelming sense of familiarity. The way she spoke to him like they'd known each other for so long, it brought back memories he didn't know know were real. They had gone through all of this together, and she was trusting him with her whole life in this file.

''Then we gotta stay together,''

* * *

It had been hours since they'd been in the abandoned house and Rosalie still didn't like the idea of being so far from the window that she couldn't see who was outside, but she'd settled for a seat on the couch near Bucky, her eyes still fixed on every entrance. They'd hear voices every now and then from people walking by and both of them would tense up, ready for agents and soldiers to burst in, but it was only neighbors making their way home.

Bucky had read through all he wanted to see in the file, and he understood why Rosalie had chosen to stop when she did. They weren't even documented as humans, just subjects of an experiment. Rosalie's past seemed much brighter than the life she had now, and he wondered what his was like before now, whether he had a good life or not.

''So you were in the army too,'' Rosalie told him, flicking through the file again.

''It doesn't say,''

''You had to be. That's why they chose me, they want people with military experience,'' she explained. ''You had to be a soldier. It makes sense,''

''I don't...maybe,'' Bucky thought. ''I...maybe,''

Rosalie could see how much he was trying to remember, how it was frustrating him that he couldn't even think if he was involved in the war or not. He should have remembered. Just because a machine made him forget didn't mean he couldn't get those memories back, but it was difficult.

''What do you remember?'' she asked, intrigued.

Bucky had kept his memories for longer than she had. He hadn't had his memories wiped since before his first mission with Rosalie, but everything before then was still extremely blurry.

''I'm a weapon, Hydra values me and I kill people that get in their way,'' he answered in a flat tone.

''If you knew what they were doing, why'd you keep going on the missions?''

''I went through mixed feelings about it. Thought they were doing it for a good reason, thought they were wiping out certain bits that could endanger us,'' he tried to explain. ''And I wanted to fight for them, they said they'd give the world freedom,''

''Definitely a soldier,'' she remarked. ''What about your name? I knew mine, I don't know why,''

''All I knew was Barnes. That's what they called me,'' he shrugged. ''And then you...you called me Bucky,''

''Bucky Barnes,'' she nodded. ''I heard them say it once, just once, and I knew it was important, but I couldn't remember why. It's the only name I actually remember,''

''That how I felt before I saw you on that mission. Rosalie Waters, but I just call you Rose,'' he shrugged. ''I don't really know why,''

''Well, I like Rose better anyway,'' she admitted. ''What happened on that mission? The one we went on together?''

Bucky took a deep breath as he recounted the story to Rosalie. Being called out to a mission in Russia with separate missions, just the two of them being sent in to the middle of things. That was the first time Hydra would see how they worked together, and they ended up quite disappointed. Bucky told her how they recognized each other immediately but said nothing to one another, carrying on with the mission and following their orders, but he couldn't let that bullet hit her. In the field Bucky didn't care who got hurt or didn't come out of it, he had his orders and nothing else mattered. But when he saw Rosalie there with him, he couldn't turn his back.

Rosalie listened in, trying to absorb everything he was saying. It was like listening to someone recount an imaginary dream, none of it seemed possible to have happened without her remembering.

''When we got back they dragged you away screaming and put you in the machine, took away your memory of it,'' he looked up. ''But left me with mine. A punishment I guess. I haven't covered anyone since,''

''I don't get it. We worked together, and got the mission done,''

''Hydra doesn't want us to be friends,'' Bucky tried to explain. ''We're meant to be their weapons and having nothing get in our way, especially emotions. You read that file, they made us like that,''

Rosalie nodded.

''We're not human,'' she sighed.

Sitting up, Rosalie pulled the top of her suit down revealing a bloody t-shirt. She'd already managed to pull the bullets out, but she was more worried about the internal damage now. Her arms felt weaker than before, and underneath her skin she could see sparking wires as if whatever was inside her was malfunctioning. She hadn't dealt with them at all before, but now Rosalie found her bullet wound and tried to grab the wires underneath. It was a gruesome sight, but Bucky had seen much worse.

Whenever his arm would get damaged in combat, the specialists had to pull apart the metal and weld tiny pieces back together. Every time something happened to it, his arm would feel weaker just as Rosalie's did, but now he wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

''This doesn't even seem real,'' Rosalie shook her head, wrapping a piece of material around her arm tight. ''How can I have wires in my body?''

''Does it hurt?'' Bucky asked, having read about what they were in her file.

''A little when I get shot,'' she pulled the top half of her suit up again, resting back into the couch.

Bucky glanced around the room, making sure they were still alone. It was dark inside, the only light they had was from the moon outside that came in through the smashed windows, but Bucky was trained to see threats no matter where he was. For now, they were safe. As he looked around, he couldn't help watch as Rosalie's eyes slowly closed, her breathing steadying.

They both had trouble sleeping. It never felt safe enough to sleep, they were both on edge the whole time, and when they did get to sleep they just had nightmares. When their memories were wiped, they weren't completely gone. They were still there in the back of their minds as dreams and flashbacks that they thought they imagined, and it scared them. But Rosalie was falling asleep as Bucky kept watch, and he knew she really trusted him.

* * *

_''Sir, are you sure letting them interact so much is a good idea?''_

_''Of course. Their bond will mean nothing once the program begins,'' Zola explained as he and Hydra specialists saw the footage of the subjects talking together in their containment room. ''Let them continue their pointless friendship, soon they won't remember each other exists,''_

_Bucky sat in a chair next to Rosalie's bed where she laid hooked up to a monitor, they were trialing a new drug to speed the process of her healing. They weren't here for a vacation and the people in these labs weren't the nicest of hosts, but since they couldn't start the program for a few weeks due to the amount of serums and various tests that had to be done on them, they had been allowed to interact with one another. _

_Every time they'd asked what was going on and what they were doing to them, they were told the world had changed outside, a new war had begun and they were helping Bucky and Rosalie fight against it. None of it made sense and they didn't trust them at all and they were still too weak to even consider fighting back against anything, but they were alive. For now._

_''I wish I could see the sun,'' Rosalie smiled, thinking of the warmth on her skin. ''It's so gloomy in here,''_

_Bucky agreed and grinned toward her, but her voice pained him. She sounded so weak and tired, her voice hoarse and strained._

_''When we get out of here you can sit in the sun all day,'' he told her, trying to give her some of the hope she was losing._

_''_You_ can,'' she looked to him. ''I might not get out of here Bucky, but when you do-''_

_''You're getting out of here too,'' he cut her off, refusing to listen. ''You're just a little weak,''_

_''You're healing and I'm not, it's that simple. I don't know what I'm fighting against here, but it seems to be winning,'' _

_Bucky held her hand tighter and she spoke, not wanting to think of being left in here alone, of losing her._

_''Just sleep, you'll feel better when you wake up. I'll stay here the whole time,'' he told her, echoing the words she'd told him many times when he was suffering nightmares or one of the many other side effects of this place._

_They'd been through so much together, they weren't going to give up now._

* * *

**Hey guys hope you're still enjoying the story! I know there's a few flashbacks but I like to throw them in to show how everything they're going through has been foreshadowed in their past, and emphasize how much they did endure together so that in future chapters it's easier to understand the whole 'unable to forget each other' thing. Anyway, please review, I love hearing from you all and hearing your opinions, so please leave me something to read :) Thanks xx**


	6. Chapter 6

_There was no way out. Every corner she got to lead to another and another, having her run around in circles. Everything on her body hurt more than she thought possible but she couldn't stop running. She had no weapons, no defense against those who were coming after her. There was smoke everywhere as she ran away from the explosions, and the footsteps of a group trailing behind her got closer and closer._

_''No!'' she screamed, pulling at a door that wouldn't open. ''No, no, no, no!''_

''Rose?''

Rosalie's eyes opened wide as she sucked in a deep breath, pulling herself up off on the couch and grabbing the hand that had been shaking her shoulder. She had already grabbed him by his throat and slammed him into the wall nearby before she realized it was Bucky.

''It's okay, you're safe,'' he told her, his hand around her wrist carefully, but he wasn't fighting against her.

Rosalie was panting heavily as she watched him, realizing it was a dream she'd been having. She didn't think she had been sleeping, it all felt so real. Someone was coming after her, she was sure of it.

''We're safe?''

Bucky nodded, gently pulling her wrist away from his throat. He knew what the dreams were like, how they haunted your thoughts and confused you about what was happening. It all felt so real, as if they'd lived it before. Rosalie dropped her wrist back down to her side, taking a few steps back away from Bucky as he watched her with concern. She looked around the room which was only just visible with the early morning light, making sure no one else was here. She knew she could trust Bucky, but she had been on her own for so long, she was in a habit of double checking things herself.

''You were screaming, I was trying to wake you up,'' Bucky explained, worried she was questioning his trust. ''We have to go, we can't stay here any longer,''

It was true, they had to get back on the road. They hadn't been found yet, but they couldn't push their luck. Hydra wasn't stupid, their agents knew what to look for and how they worked, it was only a matter of time before they found them. But Bucky was planning to be one step ahead of them each time, and now that Rosalie was caught up with what was going on, they could easily work together to keep running.

''Let's go,'' she nodded, running her fingers through her hair to soothe her anxious mind.

Rosalie walked over to grab her file, and that's all they needed. They hadn't stayed here long, but it was long enough. The car outside hadn't been touched and in the very early hour of the morning, the street was empty. They both checked their weapons before getting into the car, prepared for whatever was going to be following them that day.

''Where to?'' Rosalie asked as if she was on a mission.

''Anywhere but here,''

* * *

They had driven in silence for over an hour, still no destination in mind. Bucky didn't know the streets well since whenever they left the facility it was usually for a mission in another country or city. But as long as they kept going they would be safe. Rosalie didn't know the streets either, but with each town they passed, she would stare at the people walking on the pavement to make sure there were no prying eyes. Hydra was everywhere and they both knew their capture would be top priority for every agent and location that had been alerted. It didn't make it easier that they were dressed in their combat uniforms with weapons strapped around them either, but they didn't plan on socializing anyway.

Rosalie could barely remember what the world looked like before she was taken by Hydra. She had dreamed of the sun on her skin as she ran laps around a grassy field on a dirt track, but they were just dreams. In fact she had many dreams of things she hadn't seen before, but she knew they meant something. There was no way her mind could have conjured up things so real from nothing, there had to be something behind it and now that she had the knowledge of what had been done to her, she began to think back to the many other dreams she'd had. Ones that made sense to her now, ones that involved the only person she could trust right now.

It should have occurred to her the moment she saw him, but it seemed so impossible. All of those dreams she had of him, those labs they were in and their conversations. She could never remember them fully, she only had brief flashes of what happened. But over the years she'd pieced together scenes in her mind, but all this time they didn't make sense to her.

''Are you okay?'' Bucky asked, noticing her confused and thoughtful expression.

Deep in thought, she didn't respond to him right away. Bucky was beginning to become worried when she finally turned to him, her eyes narrow as she continued her thought.

''Do you have dreams? Ones that feel as if they really happened?'' she asked.

''Every time I close my eyes,'' he admitted. ''Rose, you okay?''

Bucky saw Rosalie's face light up with a smile, closing her as if she was reminiscing. She didn't know why it was coming back to her right now, but the pieces of her dreams were making sense the more she heard his voice, the more they were together.

''You call me Rose,'' she finally looked directly at him. ''I remember now...you calling me Rose,''

''Remember what?''

''I had a dream about it, I remember the dream now,'' she explained. ''I told you I liked Rose better, and you...'' she paused, trying to remember. ''You told me you liked Bucky,''

Bucky tried to focus on the road, but he could hardly concentrate when he was also thinking of that memory. He had the same dream, but it wasn't so clear to him. He'd pushed those memories away, casting them off as dreams, his mind taunting him.

''I had the same dream,'' he told her. ''That's why I call you Rose, I remember now, from that dream,''

''And your name, you told me it,''

Bucky looked over to her, wondering how she was remembering all of this now. Not even Rosalie knew why all of these memories and flashes of dreams were coming to her now, but the more she thought about it and spoke to Bucky, the more that made sense and came back to her.

''James,'' she looked up at him, triumphant. ''Bucky Barnes. That's your name, I remember you telling me. Or John...no, I'm sure it's James,''

''James Barnes?'' he looked to her. ''How do you remember that?''

''I don't...'' Rosalie trailed off, pausing as she looked out the window.

Something had taken her attention. A man was standing among a crowd of people as they made their down the busy street, but he was staring at their car. It could have been nothing, but her paranoia about Hydra following them made her look further, and that's how she saw the pistol in his hand as he pulled it from behind his back, aiming right at them.

''Get down!'' she shouted, pushing Bucky down in his seat as the bullet smashed the window.

The screams of the bystanders covered the sound of the man's footsteps as she ran over to the car. Rosalie looked up and saw that Bucky had been shot in his right arm, but his eyes were on the man that neared them. The passenger door was pulled open and the man grabbed Rosalie's arm, but she was faster than him. She pulled the knife out of her belt and stabbed it into his arm as he dragged her out of the car. When he let go, she kicked him in his face and knocked him to the ground.

''They're on their way!'' the man shouted at her. ''You, you two _monsters _will be found!''

As Rosalie punched the man, silencing him, there were tires screeching from the other end of the street. Black cars, three of them, all identical which left no doubt as to who they were. Hydra agents.

''Go!'' Rosalie shouted to Bucky who was standing near her. ''One of us has to keep going!''

''We're _both _going,'' he shook his head, rushing back over to the car. ''Get in!''

''I'll keep them here, go!''

''Get in the car!'' he shouted back angrily.

Rosalie looked back at the agents making their way down the street in their cars. It would be harder to capture the two of them if they each went in opposite directions, but she didn't want to. It was selfish and if she was working a mission, this wasn't how she would do it. No one else mattered in her missions, but she wanted to go with Bucky, and so she did.

Bucky drove away before the cars reached the end of the street, but they were close behind. Rosalie turned around in her seat, reaching behind to pull two guns from her back belt. Bucky looked behind for a moment to see how many he had to lose, and then he slammed his foot onto the accelerator. He was glad he'd done missions where driving was necessary, he could easily lose their followers.

The continuous noise of bullets spraying the car echoed as Rosalie shot back at them, breaking their glass windscreens and giving her a clear shot of the men inside. Rosalie bent out of the window enough to sit on the blown out window of the car, shooting one driver and narrowing the trail of Hydra agents down to two cars.

''Hold on!'' Bucky told her.

Rosalie moved one hand to the roof of the car, her other hand still holding a gun toward the cars behind her. Bucky swerved to miss a car on the other side of the road before turning a sharp corner, but Rosalie held on easily as she shot another round toward the cars behind, managing to blow out the back car's tire. She watched as it spun around and hit a pole, but the other car in front of it following closely behind.

''Ah!'' Rosalie yelped as one of the bullets hit her outer thigh.

Looking down at the fresh wound, Rosalie grew angrier and reached back inside the car to her ankle. Bucky glanced back and forth between the road and Rosalie as she pulled out another pistol that had been strapped her her leg, making sure it was fully loaded. She resumed her position on the window, leaning out more now and holding on to the door with a firm grip.

For a moment Bucky thought she would fall out, but she managed just fine. She shot at the car multiple times, smashing their windows and injuring the passenger, but the driver was still unharmed and getting closer to them. She was distracted for a moment when Bucky put his arm out the window and shot back at the car as well, smashing their lights and shooting the agent passenger just as he was about to aim at them. Rosalie lined up her gun, making sure she wouldn't miss, and then shot the driver. The car skidded into a nearby store, the crunch of the metal loud enough to drown out the screams around them.

''They won't be the only ones around here,'' Rosalie told Bucky as she climbed back inside.

''We need to blend in,'' he shook his head, realizing he should have done that sooner. ''Get a different car and clothes, we need to hide ourselves, all of Hydra knows what we look like,''

''The next town,'' she nodded. ''We have to make it there first,''

Rosalie reached down to her thigh and felt the bullet wound, trying to find the metal inside, but she couldn't. Bucky had a bullet in his arm too that he'd been ignoring, but they couldn't take care of their wounds just yet, they had to make it out of this town before anyone else found them.

''We need a plan,'' he told her.

''We've only got one plan we can count on, and that's running,''

* * *

**Hey guys, hope you're still liking the story! More exciting things in the next chapter and then some time jumping will occur, but it will all be explained. Thanks for reading, and please review **


	7. Chapter 7

They'd made it to the other town without gaining any more attention from Hydra agents that could have been nearby. They made a quick exit of the car and made their way through the backstreets of the new town, looking around. Rosalie found a store and stole some clothes for them to use in order to blend it, getting a long coat for Bucky so his metal arm wouldn't be seen. Rosalie didn't have to hide what they did to her, it was underneath her skin, and for once she was thankful about that.

It was late afternoon by the time they had done all they needed to, including cleaning up their wounds, and then they had to make a plan. They couldn't stay in this town, Hydra would be searching it thoroughly for them or any signs they were here, they had to keeping going just as Bucky had previously said. They had to keep running.

''The car won't make it too far,'' he told her as they walked down the street, successfully fitting in.

''Then we keep going until it stops and we'll figure something else out,'' she suggested.

They passed groups of people who didn't look twice at them thanks to the coats Rosalie had easily stolen from a quiet store. Their weapons were hidden underneath, but to anyone else of the street they looked completely normal. Bucky wore a hat to cover his hair in case Hydra agents described him to locals, and Rosalie pulled her hair to one side as she had seen on other women, trying to match their appearance to confuse anyone who was questioned. She also carried a bag of necessities such as food and first-aid that would last them a few days.

Every time someone took a step toward them or glanced at them for longer than a second, they'd move their hands to their weapons, but there was no threat. They were trained to distinguish when someone was suspicious, but they were more paranoid and nervous now after realizing the agents had found them once that day.

They made it back to the car unnoticed and Rosalie took over driving, hoping they would make it far enough away that Hydra wouldn't be following close behind. This was their chance to escape and they'd come so far already, they weren't ready to lose themselves again, or one another.

* * *

_Things were getting worse, Rosalie was sure this was the day she was going to die. There was no strength left in her, she was being drained of everything in her and now she could feel that there was nothing else to take. _

_''She's almost ready for the next phase,'' one of the specialists in the lab coats told the others as he looking over Rosalie's monitor. ''Barnes will have to stay longer, his body is stronger,''_

_''But he's weak, it's time to move them on, this isn't humane keeping them in this condition,'' the other argued._

_Rosalie always hated how they spoke about them as if they weren't there, but right now she didn't care about them at all._

_''They're not human, not now,'' _

_A few moments later, Rosalie realized they were gone. The light above her bed felt like it was blinding her, so she moved her head to the side and saw Bucky staring back at her, worry in his eyes. He was on the same serum that she was, but her body had taken to it quicker than his. He was watching her fade away, they could no longer talk all day and work on their plan to get out of here, a plan they knew they'd never get the chance to use. They kept each other strong, they were all they had in here, and they both knew things were ending. _

_Bucky put his hand out, reaching over to meet hers halfway after she struggled to do so. He held her hand there, knowing she had no strength to keep it there herself. He didn't know what to do, he couldn't help her._

_''It's okay,'' Rosalie told him quietly. ''Don't look at me like that,''_

_''Can't help it,'' Bucky shrugged. ''I don't want this to happen,''_

_''We knew whatever this was wasn't going to end well,'' she reminded him. ''You still have a chance,''_

_''No I don't,'' he shook his head, lifting up the tubes that ran into his arms as proof._

_''Not to escape, to live,''_

_Bucky became silent then, letting her words sink in. She knew she wasn't going to make it any further than this day, she knew she was fading away, but she still saw that he had a chance to keep living. Maybe not a happy life, not one where he would have choices or make good decisions, but he'd be alive, he'd survive what they'd done to them._

_He couldn't help staring at her. She meant so much to him, she was all he had, and she was dying right in front of him._

_''No,'' he shook his head, denying the whole situation._

_''This has been hell, but it would have been worse without you here with me. Thank you Bucky, I-''_

_''No, it's not over! There's another, uh, phase or something, I heard them,'' Bucky cut in, breaking off her soft, fragile voice. ''This isn't it, they're not done,''_

_Rosalie gripped his hand as much as she could, rubbing her thumb over his. She saw how upset he was, and if it was him in her situation, she would be in just as much denial as he was. But this was happening, there was no changing that. She could feel it._

_''Maybe not, but I am,''_

* * *

Rosalie stared at the road ahead, looking for a sign to tell them where they were headed. They couldn't stop at the towns, they had to keep moving, and she wanted to know where they may end up considering the car wasn't in the best condition. The windows were shot out, glass was everywhere and the motor sounded as if it wouldn't start again once they stopped.

Bucky looked behind them every now and then, making sure no one was following behind. It was getting darker and they didn't have a solid plan, although they didn't have one this whole time and they were still going. They knew what to expect now, they knew Hydra was indeed searching for them and would attack as soon as they found them, and they'd be ready.

''Why did you do that?'' Bucky asked, breaking their silence. ''You were going to let them find you while I got away,''

Rosalie looked over to him, wondering why he suddenly asked.

''You had a chance to get away,''

''Only because they would have captured you,'' he reminded her.

''I'd rather them take me than take the both of us,'' she told him. ''You've suffered more than me,''

Bucky watched as she turned away, obviously finished with the conversation. She put him first in that situation, something he wasn't used to and didn't understand, he had to question it. Everything they did had to be questioned, he didn't know what to trust but he was sure he could trust Rosalie, and she proved that to him. He looked at the bandage he'd wrapped around his arm where he'd been shot and then back over to Rosalie, noticing her arms that had dark lines covering them from the wires underneath. They were both so damaged in different ways,

It was a silent drive as the sky got darker, the afternoon turning into night while they made their way along the long highway. They hadn't seen a town in a while and only passed a few cars, and they considered themselves lucky they had chosen such a quiet and safe time to travel. However their luck wasn't as good as they thought when the motor began cutting out, slowing them down until Rosalie had to veer onto the side of the road. This was as far as it was going to take them.

''I don't know where we are,'' Rosalie sighed, resting back in the seat. ''I don't know where the next town is or how to get there,''

''We'll just stay here until daylight,'' Bucky resolved.

''On the side of the road? Any car that passes could stop and they could be Hydra,''

''We'll move it behind those bushes and hide it until tomorrow,''

Rosalie agreed before they both got out of the car and pushed it behind the taller bushes and trees, making sure if Hydra took the same road, they wouldn't be in clear sight. They checked their weapons a few times, knowing they probably wouldn't be having a peaceful stay that night. Hydra wouldn't rest and now they had no choice but to stay put, their run-in would be inevitable.

''They're gonna find us,'' Rosalie shook her head, folding her arms as she stood at the back of the car watching the road. ''Maybe I could try and fix the car,''

''They won't, we're hidden here,'' Bucky assured her.

''I feel like we're in plain sight, I don't like it,''

Bucky could hear the worry in her voice, could see her eyes widen as she stared at the road. They'd both been on too many missions, hidden from too many people, and now that they were being hunted by the very people who made them that way, who knew everything about them.

''So my name is James,'' Bucky began, moving to stand next to her. ''How do you remember that?''

''I had a few dreams, I guess I can remember them more when I'm around you,'' she explained. ''Did you expect a different name? Do you like James?''

Bucky thought about it. He'd gone a long time not knowing his name, but it didn't bother him too much. They addressed him as Barnes and that's all he responded to, but when she said his name, he liked having one.

''James Barnes, it's not so bad. I like Bucky more though,'' he told her, remembering when he heard her say it before they escaped. ''It sounds like it's got more...like something's behind it,''

''Maybe your friends gave it to you,'' she suggested.

''Friends?'' Bucky wondered.

''Before all this, before the war and Hydra, I'm sure you had friends,''

''Maybe,''

* * *

_''You can't go,'' Bucky pleaded as Rosalie's hand began to slip from his. ''Rose! No, no, no, just open your eyes, just wake up Rose,''_

_Before Bucky could try anything to get a response from her, two men came into the room and checked her vitals. They whispered something between each other, nodding and moving machines. Bucky didn't know what was going on, he just watched on helplessly as they stuck more needles into her. As weak as he was, seeing them moving Rosalie around as if she was dead and not caring that she unresponsive made him feel like he could jump up and knock them aside. _

_''Dose has been administered, moving subject to begin the next phase now as reaction begins__,''_

_Reaction? _

_Bucky didn't have time to think more about it before Rosalie's body began shaking violently, but she made no noise. She was unresponsive, gone, but they put something in her body. After all of this, all they'd done to them, to her, they couldn't let her be. Even when she was dying, they couldn't let her rest._

_''What are you doing to her! Help her!'' Bucky yelled, causing one of the men to walk over to him. ''Don't! Get away from me!''_

_Bucky fought as hard as he could with the strength he had, but it was useless. They injected something into his arm and his vision went blurry as he watched Rosalie get taken out of the room, and he didn't think he'd ever see her again. _


	8. Chapter 8

Rosalie took another sip from the water bottle in her hands before passing it over to Bucky as they walked through the dense bushes and around the many trees in their way. Walking along the road was a risk they weren't willing to take in the early light of the morning, so they'd found an old trail instead that took them through the empty land, hoping it would lead to a town or somewhere they'd find useful.

Bucky managed to get about an hour of sleep the night before since Rosalie insisted he needed it. It was clear she wasn't going to take a break from watching the cars drive past and making sure they were safe, so he took his opportunity. However sleeping had never been an easy task for him, but an hour was plenty enough.

''We're getting a map at the next place and taking a car, and we're not stopping again,'' Bucky reminded her. ''We'll find somewhere secluded we can stay for a while once we're far enough away,''

Rosalie nodded, agreeing with the plan.

''Just keep running,'' she told him.

''We'll be running for the rest of our lives,'' he spoke in a disappointed voice.

''At least we'll be running together,''

Bucky looked over to her and although she was looking straight ahead with a cautious gaze, he smiled slightly. He would never be safe again in his life and they could never stop running, but since there was no choice and no other way, he was glad that he could run with her by his side.

''Do you think we have anyone else out there?'' she asked. ''Family? People who would have cared?''

''Doesn't matter,'' Bucky shook his head. ''We don't remember them and they don't know we're alive, all loose ends are tied,''

They kept walking for a while in silence once again, ducking behind the large trees every time they heard a noise, making sure no one was following. They were trained to only look out for themselves, to get the job done and not to worry about anyone else involved, but after the past few days Bucky and Rosalie had extended that protection to one another. They were in this together.

''Why do we remember each other?'' Rosalie asked.

Bucky almost chuckled, remembering how many times he'd gone over that question in his head over the many months he'd had with his memories of her. It didn't make sense at all, the experiments were made to clear their memories and to an extent it had worked. They remembered nothing of their previous life or anyone else who could have been important to them, but they remembered each other. Through dreams, foggy memories and as soon as they seen one another, they remembered.

''I don't know,'' he answered honestly.

Rosalie quickly turned her head, her eyes wide and alert as she stared behind her at the bushes. It was a small and quiet noise, but it sounded like something was there. Bucky looked over to her soon after catching on to what was happening and Rosalie put a finger to her lips and signaled for them both to duck down. Bucky scanned their surroundings as he pulled out a gun.

Rosalie did the same as she looked around, hoping it was just an animal or something had fallen from one of the trees. However when the noise came again, they both knew they weren't alone. Bucky signaled to Rosalie to move close to the tree nearby and take cover, but as soon as Rosalie's foot moved, a bullet hit the tree behind her. Hydra had found them.

Bucky and Rosalie looked between one another with panicked glances, but there was no time to worry. The footsteps of agents were growing closer and they all had them in their sights. Any movements and they'd shoot again, and they wouldn't miss this time.

''Surrender!'' one of the men shouted somewhere behind a tree, hidden.

Rosalie looked over to Bucky just in time to see him pull something out of his pocket, pull a pin and throw it directly toward the group that was closing in toward them. Missing a bullet narrowly, Bucky stood up and started running as Rosalie followed behind, the explosion behind them pushing them faster.

''Find cover!'' he shouted to her as they ran.

''There's more of them!''

They ran into a dense area and ducked down behind a tall tree stump, trying to get a visual on where the agents were and how many they'd be up against. The explosion had taken most of them, but there was more coming. They both shot the ones they could see clearly, but their location made it quite difficult, however they were trained for these circumstances and more skilled than the agents coming for them.

''They're gonna take us back there,'' Rosalie looked toward him.

It was hard for her not to seem slightly scared of what was about to happen. She wasn't afraid of many things and she knew she had a physical advantage over them, but only because of what they'd done to her. If they were capable of wiping her memories, turning her into this weapon and even tampering underneath her skin to make her stronger, she didn't want to go back and see what else they were capable of doing to her. The thought frightened her.

''We're not gonna let them take us anywhere,'' Bucky shook his head, putting his hand on her shoulder. ''This is nothing, we're gonna get out of this,''

Rosalie looked at him and nodded her head, pulling out a second gun from her pocket and making sure it was loaded. Bucky was ready to fight back and so was she. She had to forget about what would happen if they failed and were taken back to that place, all she had to focus on was getting away.

''Take out as many as you can, but don't take on more than two at a time, it's too risky, we don't know what they've got planned. Take cover whenever you can and if there's a chance, run,'' he told her.

''Only if you run too,'' she shook her head. ''I'm not gonna leave you here,''

''We can't risk them taking both of us if something goes wrong,''

''I'm not running without you, get over it,'' she snapped, looking away from him and over to the agents who were slowly moving in. ''When this is over we'll find each other again and get out of here, okay?''

Bucky nodded.

They didn't have much time. Hydra knew they were here now and once they'd taken care of these agents, more would be sent in. They had to kill, run and hide, and it started now.

Bucky pulled each gun into his hand and gripped them tight, ready to begin, but just as he began to move Rosalie grabbed his wrist, making him look at her one last time. She didn't say anything and neither did he, but through their silence the message was still clear. Be careful and make it out alive.

He was the first to be spotted as he began running, and Bucky didn't waste any bullets as she shot back at the agents, watching them fall to the ground after he pulled the trigger. It was easy to dodge the bullets within the surrounding bushes and trees that provided momentary safety, but there wasn't much time to think of the next move, he just had to keep shooting. Bucky glanced over to where he last saw Rosalie and noticed she was now gone, fighting off an agent who had managed to get too close.

Over the past few days, Rosalie's softer side had come out after the knowledge of what had been done to her and being with Bucky, but when it came to combat and getting into the same zone she was in when on missions, it was clear she wasn't always like that. She'd been trained to focus during assignments and she knew how to hurt people in the right places and right ways. She kept a calm composure when she twisted the agent's arm until she heard a crack and then knocked him unconscious next to a tree.

''Hold still!'' another agent warned her as he stood behind her with a gun to her head.

Rosalie took a deep breath and pulled her arms up in surrender, but as the man took another step closer to grab her arms, she spun around and took his gun from his hands and used it to knock him across his face and onto the ground. When she found slight cover behind a fallen tree, she managed to shoot down agents heading in Bucky's direction, giving him time to run further before she attacked those coming closer to her and did the same.

They were getting closer to the end of the woods they were in, hoping there was a town or a quick escape, but there was also the very real possibility of more Hydra agents waiting for them there as well. There seemed to be no exit, but there was no time to think about that yet, they just had to get out of this.

''If you cooperate, you will no be harmed!'' one of the men called out, hoping Bucky and Rosalie would calm down as he watched his fellow agents drop to the ground around him.

They both knew it was a lie. No matter what they did, they would end up being harmed either way.

Rosalie ran as fast as she could through the bushes, jumping over wooden logs and boulders, turning as she did so to shot back at the men following behind her. She didn't know how many she or Bucky had taken out, but they just kept coming.

When she looked over in his direction, Bucky was just walking down the middle of the woods and shooting anyone who was coming toward him. It became clear to her what he was doing after a moment. He was heading for the leader of this mission, the man who was calling the shots and following Hydra's orders.

It was in that moment she stopped running and stared at him. He was walking into a situation where he would be outnumbered completely, and she couldn't let him do it alone. She wasn't going to run if he wasn't running alongside her.

''Barnes! Put down your weapon!''

The agent's words were falling on deaf ears. Whatever they said meant nothing to Bucky or Rosalie. Nothing would stop them fighting back.

Bucky walked faster now, getting closer and seeing more agents coming his way. He was about to take out the men in front of him when they dropped to the ground before he lifted his gun. He turned to see Rosalie walking next to him, two guns up and shooting at the agents around them.

This had been what Hydra wanted. Bucky and Rosalie, the two experiments working together. However the only way it worked was when they were fighting against Hydra, fueled by their hate. They worked well together, their tactics and methods both relatively the same, however they both had their stronger points.

As they closed in on the man in charge, watching him look on dressed in his commanding uniform, they both saw the gun in his hand. It wasn't a regular gun, nothing like what the other agents were using. At the end of the barrel was a dart-like object with a tiny vial attached to the back of the point. It became clear what it was. Hydra wasn't trying to kill them with their agents, they still needed them alive and they knew Bucky and Rosalie would fight back. They had the advantage now. A tranquilizer, a sedative.

Once the commander put his finger on the trigger and pulled, Bucky extended his arm and knocked Rosalie away from him onto the ground. She hit the dirt with a thud, coughing and trying to breathe as she pulled herself back and stared wide eyed at Bucky.

In his neck was a very small dart, not lodge too deep into his skin, but enough that the tiny vial at the end was now empty.

''Bucky!'' she screamed, lifting herself up and running over to him.

Bucky looked over to her as she ran, his visions slowly becoming blurred. He pulled the dart out of his neck and dropped it to the ground as Rosalie made it to him, her hands on the side of his face, staring at him worriedly.

''Look at me!'' she shook him, trying to get a response. ''Bucky! Please!''

But he couldn't do anything, his whole body had stopped and just as he began to lose balance, he looked at Rosalie one last time before the same type of dart hit her own neck, taking her by surprise as she stared at him.

This was nothing, they were going to get out of this, that was their plan.


	9. Chapter 9

It was bright inside the room Bucky woke up in. His whole body ached as if he'd been hit by a car, but he wasn't injured. The sedative they'd shot him with was more powerful than any other they'd been given, that he remembered. It was like waking up from a week long sleep, a tiny coma, and now he didn't know what had happened within that time.

He looked around the room, but there was no one in sight. He wasn't strapped into a chair or locked into a machine, and all of his memories were in tact.

''Rose?'' he called out, jumping out of the bed and looking out the windows of the room. ''Rosalie!''

''Bucky!'' she called back.

Bucky turned, looking all around the bare room but it wasn't until she began hitting the glass that separated them that he realized she was in the next room. There was a thick metal door between them and a small square of glass that allowed them to see one another.

As he rushed over, he could already see the paleness of her skin and the dark circles beneath her eyes. He wondered how long she'd been here, whether or not she too had just woken up or what they had been doing to her. The question of where they were wasn't on his mind, he knew Hydra had them and that meant they could be anywhere.

Rosalie smiled as soon as Bucky stood in front of the glass. His hair was messy and he looked so confused by everything just as she had been, but she was relieved he was still there.

''Are you okay?'' he asked.

Rosalie nodded her head and put her hand up to the glass, trying to reassure him.

''Are you?''

''I think so,'' he leaned in closer to the door. ''I'm sorry,''

''It's not-''

''I told you we'd get out of it,'' he shook his head, disappointed. ''I underestimated them,''

''We will get out,'' she told him softly, just loud enough for him to hear.

They stood there in silence for a while, just thinking about everything that had happened. How close they came to freedom, how far they'd gotten and how easy it had been for Hydra to drag them back into this place.

''What have they done to you?'' he asked.

''Nothing that I know of. I haven't seen anyone,'' she told him.

''They're drawing it out,''

Rosalie looked up at him, wondering what he was thinking. They didn't have long until everything would change once again, when they'd be forced back to whatever organization needed them and they'd be sent on missions. But more importantly, the thing that scared her the most, she wouldn't know any different.

''I don't want to forget you,''

Bucky took a moment before looking up at her in return, seeing how scared she was. He was scared too, he didn't want to go back to what they were before they got out. Being a weapon, having his mind played with and erased whenever something happened that shouldn't have. But he knew what it would be like. He'd see her, and he'd know her, but he wouldn't know why. For some reason they couldn't completely forget one another, but the thought of them seeing recognizing one another and not knowing why was painful.

''Me neither,'' he put his hand on the glass to hers.

A moment later, the door behind Bucky opened and two agents walked in. When he looked back at the glass, the same was happening in Rosalie's room. They had been waiting for both of them to be awake, and now it was all beginning again. They both looked at each other and nodded, a silent agreement.

Rosalie waited until she could hear the agents right behind her and then bent down, pulling their legs from beneath them. When they hit the ground, she reached up to one of their belts and pulled a gun to her hands, pointing it between the both of them. Bucky pretended to cooperative until they reached the other side of the room where he pushed both of the agents up to the wall by their necks and waiting for them to stop struggling.

Their limp bodies fell to the floor moments before Bucky hurried over to the door between him and Rosalie. With his metal arm, he gripped the door handle which had been locked and reinforced, pushing against it with gritted teeth before it tore away from the wall.

''How many more are there?'' he asked when he walked through to Rosalie.

''Too many,'' she shook her head.

''We have to get out of here, come on!'' he urged. ''We have to run!''

Rosalie followed behind Bucky as he headed back to the room he awoke to, pushing open the other door that lead to a long hallway and more rooms. This didn't look anything like the other facility they'd been held at. This was much more like a lab, not a base. Wherever they were, he knew for a fact they hadn't been here before.

''We haven't got weapons, we need to stay clear of anyone coming our way,'' Rosalie reminded him.

''Why aren't the alarms going?'' he wondered, slowing down as he walked over to one of the windows. ''There should be...people should be coming,''

He stared for a while longer, looking to see if anyone was coming. They had a chance at getting out of this place, their last chance, but it seemed to easy. People had tried to restrain them, it was obvious they weren't meant to get away, and yet no one was coming for them.

''Rose, check the other window,'' he told her quietly as he kept watch. ''Rose?''

Bucky turned when he heard no response to see Rosalie standing there completely still, a man standing behind her with a gun to her head and a syringe halfway into her side. Just enough to keep her still so she wouldn't fight against his threat.

Bucky looked up at the man with angry eyes, his hands balled into fists.

''I _will _shoot her if you try anything,'' the man threatened.

Bucky took a step closer but stopped when the man pushed the gun against Rosalie's head even more, making her squirm.

''You need her,''

''We only need one of you. If you cooperate, no one needs to die. Just a few questions and that's it,''

''You mean get all you need to know from us and then wipe our memories,'' Bucky shook his head. ''No, not happening,''

''You'll both be put on hold until necessary, no harm will come to you. You just have to cooperate,''

''Put on hold?''

''It's none of your concern. Now, I'm going to guide the girl into the next room and you're going to stand right there and wait or else I pull this trigger,'' the man warned.

They'd found his weakness. The one thing he'd cooperate for.

''If you hurt her-''

''Don't give me a reason to and I won't,''

Bucky watched as the man turned to walk backwards, keeping an eye on Bucky as he did so, but Bucky was only looking at Rosalie. He'd brought her into all of this, and she again was in danger because of his decisions. He just wanted to get them out of this, away from all of the people who were using them and wiping their minds, but it proved to be too difficult.

Rosalie stared at him as she shuffled backwards, knowing this was their only chance. The needle in her side had injected enough sedative to keep her slower and weaker, but she had enough left to lift her arm up and knock the gun from the man's hands and run over to Bucky who quickly wrapped his arm around her shoulder and began rushing to the door.

''Hurry!'' she yelled.

Bucky made it over to the door they had passed in the hallway, trying to tear the door open with his metal arm, but when he finally pulled it open, a bullet hit him in the back of his leg.

''Bucky!'' Rosalie gasped, her eyes going wide as she saw the blood trickling onto the floor.

''I'm fine! Go!'' he told her as he stood up straight, trying to follow her into the room.

The man was on the ground rubbing his head, his gun in his hand, watching as Bucky made it inside. Rosalie made sure Bucky was out of his way before she turned to shut the door, as weak as she was. She gripped the handle and pulled as hard as she could on the heavy door, but it didn't close in time to spare her the bullet that hit her in the chest.

Rosalie let out a loud gasp as the bullet hit her, feeling the full impact the tiny piece of metal had on her body when it pierced her skin. It was like all of her oxygen had been taken from her body, she couldn't breathe and all she felt was her legs buckling from beneath her as she dropped the to ground.

''Rose?'' Bucky sat up worriedly. ''Rosalie!''

The man in the other room dropped his gun, satisfied with hitting one of them fatally and crawled over to the door to alert the others.

Rosalie turned her head over to Bucky as she tried to breathe in big gasps, her hand on her chest where the bullet hit, blood spilling out from her fingers.

''No,'' Bucky shook his head, ignoring his wounded leg to rush to her side. ''No, no, no! Rose!''

With everything that Hydra had done to her body and what they had put underneath her skin, he was so sure she couldn't die from a gunshot like that. But the blood kept coming and Rosalie was fading fast.

She lifted her hand off her chest and stared at the blood that covered her palm, knowing she wasn't going to survive. Rosalie leaned back into Bucky's arms as she felt her body grow weaker.

''I got you, it's okay,''

''I can't breathe, it hurts,'' she groaned, trying to pull in some oxygen.

''Just lean back, try to calm down,''

''Bucky,'' she looked up at him. ''Get out of here,''

''No,'' he shook his head. ''I'm not going without you,''

''You don't have a choice, I'm not-'' she paused, wincing in pain as she tried to breathe. ''They only need one of us and it's not me, don't let them get you,''

''I'm not leaving you! We'll get out of this together,'' he told her, trying to be positive.

But even he could see where this was going. Bucky didn't want to admit it, he didn't want to have to consider going any further without her. He felt like he was the one who put her in this position to begin with, and it should have been him who got shot.

Rosalie knew she didn't have much time. No matter what they did to her at Hydra, getting shot in the chest so close to her heart and losing this much blood, there was no way she'd survive. Her clothes were soaked in blood and so were Bucky's as he tried to stop the bleeding, but it was no use.

''Maybe the two of us weren't meant to survive,'' she told him. ''It's been

Bucky wanted to tell her she was wrong, that she was going to make it, but he couldn't. He'd already promised her so much and had failed, he couldn't lie to her. Instead he put his hand to her face, stroking her cheek with his thumb.

''I won't forget you,'' he assured her. ''I can promise you that,''

''I know,'' she smiled, holding his hand to her cheek. ''Just don't give up on yourself, okay? Do that for me,''

''I'd do anything for you,'' he shook his head. ''I would have taken that bullet,''

''_You _can make it out of this,'' she told him in a pained whisper. ''At least I can die knowing you still have a chance one day to get away from all of this, you deserve it,''

''You deserved it too,'' Bucky told her quietly, noticing her eyes closing as she took a small breath. ''Rose?''

That's when he realized she had let go.

Bucky kept his hand on her cheek and pulled his head down to hers, holding her close. She had no pulse, no more life. They'd taken it from her.

They had taken her from him.


	10. Chapter 10

Bucky couldn't stop staring at it. The red stains on his hands and on his clothes made him sick to the stomach. He'd killed many people, caused and witnessed more bloodshed than the marks on his skin, but this was different. This was the blood of someone who meant more to him than any of it. The blood that belonged to someone he cared about, someone he loved.

It hadn't been long since he'd been taken from that room after watching them take Rosalie's lifeless body and lift her onto a table before wheeling her away. He watched her cold hand dangle off the side as they left him sitting in front of the pool of blood she'd left behind.

He didn't know what to do. He was beyond angry, so much so that he didn't know what to do first. Bucky couldn't remember losing someone else he cared about before, he could only ever remember Rosalie and now she was gone completely.

He wanted to fight against them, fight for Rosalie and keep their dream of getting away alive. But he didn't care about himself now, he didn't care what he had to go through or turn into. He just wanted to forget.

''Barnes!''

Bucky's mind was brought back to the present when the man across from him raised his voice.

''Are you aware of what's going to happen now?''

It took a moment for Bucky to take his eyes away from his bloodstained hands and look up.

''Where did you take her?'' he asked.

''This isn't about the girl,'' the man folded his arms.

''Where did you take her?'' Bucky asked again more forcefully.

''A team is working on getting the technology used on her out of her body. Once that's done, well, I'm sure you know how a burial works. Now, we're planning to get you out of here and into another country as soon as possible-''

''I want to see her one last time,'' Bucky looked up. ''I want to see her and then I'll go, I'll do whatever you want me to.''

The man in charge stood back, looking at Bucky as if his request was insane. He was expecting a fight, at least an argument, but not a calmness like Bucky was exhibiting. It was as if everything had been drained from him.

''Why would I allow that?'' he asked.

''Because you killed her, and you owe me this,''

''I owe you nothing!''

''I won't fight against anything anymore, this is all I ask,''

The man walked closer to Bucky, standing above him intimidatingly.

''I know you're aware of the process used to eliminate memories,'' he reminded. ''Trust me, this won't matter to you by tomorrow,''

Bucky didn't flinch at the man's words. He knew they'd use that against him, and he didn't consider it to be frightening anymore. There would be less pain and suffering if they wiped his memories, it would relieve him of his guilt and he wouldn't see Rosalie dying in his arms every time he closed his eyes. But even if he wouldn't remember it tomorrow, he still wanted to see her again, to say goodbye.

''One last time,''

* * *

Rosalie's death didn't have the same impact on everyone else at the facility as it did on Bucky. They treated her as another casualty of their war against anyone who fought against Hydra. The only special treatment she got was a medical team extracting the tech underneath her skin that was apparently only being trialed on her and as a result of her death it had been ruled ineffective.

It had only been a few hours since it all happened, but when Bucky walked into the medical room to see her, he felt like he hadn't been near her in years. Her body was pale and still stained with blood, they'd left her in the same clothes she died in.

Bucky slowly made his way over to her side, looking over her chest and seeing where the bullet ended everything. She looked peaceful though, despite everything. Both her and Bucky had trouble sleeping, they always had nightmares and dreams that they didn't understand. But at least now she could sleep forever without enduring that again.

He reached his arm out to touch hers, realizing he'd used his metal arm instead. He didn't think he'd ever get used to not being able to feel it. Rosalie's skin was cold as he grabbed her hand, wishing she would respond.

''I'm sorry,'' he told her quietly, knowing no one was here to listen. ''I won't ever stop being sorry. I never got to tell you the dreams I had about you too. I didn't get to tell you much at all. I should have protected you better instead of dragging you into it all at once. I wish that bullet hit me instead,''

Bucky wasn't very talkative to anyone, he didn't like saying things that could come back to him and he didn't know who he could trust, but he had to say these things while he was here. He'd never see her again and he wanted to make sure that he apologized for what he'd gotten them into.

Outside the room however, two men stood near the door, watching on through the window. They wondered why Bucky cared so much about Rosalie. They'd both been through so much brainwashing and memory loss that specialists didn't think they'd ever feel remorse or compassion, but here they were. Rosalie and Bucky remembered each other through everything. Their bond was stronger than the machines and all the scientists could narrow it down to was the experiments they'd gone through together. However they couldn't work together, and that was a problem considering that was the sole purpose for turning the two of them into weapons.

''Sir, why did we agree to this when his memories are getting wiped as soon as he gets out, he wouldn't remember a thing,'' one man spoke.

''Because I'm letting him keep her in his memory, that's what all of this was for. We found his drive, the one thing he cared about and apparently no matter how much his memory is wiped, he can still remember her, so I'm going to have him remember her like this. He'll be more powerful than ever, he'll cooperate,''

''He'll turn on us! He knows we shot her, we can't allow him to remember that,''

''I'm not allowing him to remember that, I'm allowing him to remember her. The circumstances of her death will be wiped and he'll be convinced of another story, one that will drive him even further. Everything we've done in the past two days have lead to this and I won't accept any mistakes,''

The other man moved back, his eyes turning to look into the room again.

''Yes sir,''

Bucky continued staring at Rosalie, trying to convince himself that she was really gone. She looked like she could just wake up, as if she was in a deep sleep. But to his disappointment, she remained still on the table. He tried to ignore the marks on her skin where the medical team had taken the tech under her skin, cutting her and ruling their experiment a failure as if she was only a lab rat to them.

''I don't deserve to make it out of here, not without you,''

* * *

_''What are you doing to her? Help her!''_

_Rosalie could barely hear Bucky's voice as she was wheeled out of the room, something sharp poking into her arm. There was muttering voices around her, whispering things she couldn't understand. Her hearing came and went every now and then until she realized she was in and entirely different room. She opened her eyes just enough to turn her head, as weak as she was, to look for Bucky._

_''Where?'' she asked, trying to move her arm._

_''Don't move,'' a nurse grabbed her. ''You'll make it worse for yourself,''_

_Rosalie looked up at her._

_''What's happening to me?'' she whispered._

_''I'm not authorized to explain that to you-''_

_''I want Bucky,'' Rosalie tried to move again. ''Where is he?''_

_''I need an agent in here to restrain her!'' the nurse called out. ''This isn't going to work if you keep moving. I though you'd been administered with a sedative already,''_

_An agent walked into the room and worked to strap Rosalie's wrists to her side so the nurse could continue, but she wouldn't stop looking around._

_''I don't want to die without Bucky,'' she slurred, the sedative kicking in. ''I don't want...to die...''_

* * *

The pain was unbearable.

Bucky's body pushed against the restraints around his wrists and waist at each round of electrical shocks that went through his head. His teeth ached from biting down on the piece of plastic that had been pushed into his mouth before they begun and his voice was breaking and fading as he screamed.

The worst part was that this was just the beginning of a long and tiring process.

Bucky fell in and out of consciousness as the machine stopped and started on him again and again. The pain was still excruciating, but it slowly became familiar enough that he didn't react as badly. Every time he opened his eyes when the pain stopped, he realized he was sitting in the chair with a man in front of him, asking him questions.

''Who are you?''

''Buck-''

The pain began again.

''Who are you!''

''B-''

Pain. Every time he answered with his name, there was pain.

* * *

_Three weeks later_

It had been a full day since Bucky had experienced the same pain as the days before. There were no more electrical shocks, no more binding to a chair and screaming and bleeding from how hard he bit into the plastic in his mouth. He didn't feel much now. He didn't know where he was but he knew exactly what he was there for. He was a weapon and they needed him, and he wanted to fight.

''Who are you?''

The voice broke through to Bucky as he looked up from his chair, staring at the man in front of him with blank, tormented eyes.

''I'm a soldier,''

''Who do you work for?''

''Hydra,''

''What do you do?''

''Whatever needs to be done,''

There was a long silence after he answered as the man nodded to himself, satisfied with Bucky's answers.

''Who is Rosalie Waters?''

Bucky looked up with wide eyes, the name hitting him hard as he remembered. The blood, him holding her, her face draining of color, being dragged away from him.

''Someone I cared about,''

''What does she mean to you?''

''Everything,''

''Where is she?''

''Gone,''

''Where?'' the man asked again.

''She's dead,'' Bucky looked away.

''How did she die?''

Bucky took a moment, looking down at the floor and closing his eyes. He hated himself, he didn't want to admit it out loud as he had over and over in his head.

''She was shot in the chest, the bullet scraped her heart and she bled to death,'' the man filled the silence, trying to provoke something. ''But whose fault was it? Why did Rosalie die? Answer me!''

Bucky's hands were trembling as he looked up at the man again, standing up and clenching his fists.

''Because I killed her!''

* * *

**Hey guys, so I'm fairly sure that the next chapter I'm going to go into the CA:TWS storyline and it'll get a lot more interesting. Please review!**


	11. Chapter 11

_**2014**_

**Germany**

It was a waiting game, just like every other day. Bucky sat in his dark cell flipping one of his many knives around in his fingers while the other agents and soldiers were either sleeping or waiting for orders. Bucky didn't sleep though, he hadn't for a very long time.

They were on a mission somewhere in Germany awaiting instructions for their next move. Bucky had killed one of Hydra's many enemies that day, just as he had been doing for decades. The people he killed meant nothing to him, they were simply a mission he had to complete. Hydra praised his work, but they were still weary of him. His mental state had deteriorated over the years to a point where he rarely ever spoke to anyone. The only interaction he had with anyone else was when he was on missions, he preferred to be on his own.

''We're done here,'' a man walked to his door. ''We're leaving,''

Bucky turned around, knife still in his hand as he looked over to the visitor. Most of the agents and soldiers didn't like being around Bucky. Their orders outlined specifically that they not talk to him while he was in a mission or try to deter his actions. They'd heard of him before they even became agents for Hydra, he was like a legend that people spoke about when telling horrifying stories and recounting near impossible missions. Bucky had made a name for himself around the world with his assassinations and his tactics. There was never a failed mission when he was involved, no one ever got away from him. Governments knew about him and other spies and agents feared him. No one knew who he was though, but they referred to him as The Winter Soldier.

''You're needed in Washington, high-profile kill,''

Another person he had to eliminate. But he knew why he was doing it, to protect Hydra and to pay for what he'd done.

* * *

**Washington**

''Sir, they're bringing him here now,''

''Good,'' Secretary Pierce looked out the window of his office. ''Make sure everything is in place,''

''Are we sure this guy can be trusted with this mission?''

Pierce turned to look at the agent in front of him.

''He's been trusted with killing for many years. He wouldn't turn on Hydra, not after what he's done for us or to himself. He loathes himself and this is his punishment, this is how he deals with his only memory we've let him keep, the one that drives him. He won't turn on us,''

There was silence in the room as the other man watched Pierce walked over to his desk, looking over the plan for what was about to happen. Hydra would be in control of everything in the entire world soon enough. Anything that happened, they'd see it and they'd act upon. Right under the noses of SHIELD. But they needed Bucky for that to happen, although that's not the name he went by these days. He didn't know his name, they'd made sure to wipe him of that. He was known only to the few that believed in the stories or had witnessed the terror he brought everywhere he went.

''With all due respect sir, I've seen this man, I've been there on a mission and he doesn't seem mentally stable enough to-''

''And how did that mission go?'' Pierce looked over him sternly. ''Did we succeed in doing what was needed? Did he get the job done? Did he turn on us?''

The man became quiet once again.

''He knows his place, you should learn yours too,''

* * *

**Russia**

''Hydra's compromised,'' A woman walked into the room, trying to keep her voice low for the others not to hear, but someone was listening, they were always listening.

''No,'' the man she told shook his head. ''It's not possible,''

''Pierce had been in contact with us directly. Director Fury is no longer active, the other soldier took him out, but not before Fury told others enough to cause concern,'' she continued with her thick English accent. ''The other soldier has become a target, Hydra is at risk of being exposed internationally and completely,''

The man stood back to take a seat, unable to process it all at once.

''What happens now? We leave? Hide until this blows over?''

''This will not blow over. The only way for Hydra to have a chance in this war, to take what is ours and what we've worked so hard for is to use all of our assets, everything we have. We must do this to have the best chance,''

The man stared back at her, unsure of whether she was being serious or not.

''We can't use _every _asset, surely,''

''We have no other choice. The soldier who got us this far is at risk and so is Hydra itself. If we don't send the other soldier in, we will lose this battle, and we're too close to let that happen,''

The woman walked closer to the man, her attitude changing.

''Doctor, I'm not asking. This is what needs to happen,''

The elderly man stood up, his white hair hanging over his face and covering his fearful expression.

''She's not meant to interfere with The Winter Soldier's missions,'' he told her. ''The repercussions...we don't know how they'll respond if they were to meet,''

''I'm not taking chances. I won't let Hydra fall because you're afraid of a reunion between the two soldiers. We must use everything we have. Sending her in to defend and fight will double our chances. SHIELD may not have a long list of loyal employees but the ones they do have are going to fight, and we'll need all we've got,''

The man understood her reasoning, but he feared what would come out of the decision. He had nothing like the skills of Zola who created the soldiers, he couldn't fix their memories if the soldiers met, not after all of this time. He couldn't repair the mental damage and he had no idea what may happen, but Hydra was falling and it appeared that no matter his response, he had no choice in the matter.

''I've made sure she has no memory of the man, but I can't guarantee when she sees him that it will stay the same. This is out of my hands,'' he told the woman.

''This is the only way,'' she nodded to him. ''Where is she?''

He turned and looked down the dark corridor to his left.

''She hasn't seen light in over a week,''

''You were meant to be monitoring her mental health,''

The man looked up at the woman and shook his head with a slight chuckle.

''Mental health,'' he muttered with another laugh. ''The things that have been done to her mind, to her body, it is a wonder she is mentally active at all,''

Whenever she wasn't on missions, killing people and causing chaos, she was in this man's custody. Because of what she'd gone through, what they had to pull her through to save her, she had to be constantly monitored. When she came back thanks to all of the concoctions created, the drugs used and the machines, she was different. She was empty, but so full of rage. Vicious and dangerous, a powerful asset.

The woman began to walk down the corridor to collect the soldier but the man stopped her, holding up a key.

''You'll need this,''

She could hear the muffled voices, trying to decipher them as she sat in silence and leaned back against the rocky concrete wall. It was hard to make out exactly what was going on but she could clearly interpret the main agenda of the conversation. Hydra was compromised.

The footsteps echoed down the corridor as she heard someone approaching. The woman refused to let on to the old man that she feared the girl at the end of the corridor, the soldier that everyone in Hydra feared, the one that no one spoke of.

The woman had dealt with her before but it was out in the field during a mission. The girl's mind was consumed by her task and she wouldn't listen to anymore instructions when she was told to back down, that it was too dangerous. However the girl managed to kill her target after killing many, many others. She had earned a name for herself.

''You have a mission,'' the woman announced just before she reached the cell at the end of the corridor.

It was dark in there, only a slight bit of light from the room leading down the corridor. The woman could make out the girls face staring back at her, a blank expression but an intense gaze. Her long brown hair was draped on either side of her face and her skin was pale, almost white. But around her eyes was dark as if she hadn't slept in years, which was a definite possibility.

''As you know, Hydra has done many things for you. They've brought you back from a near death, they saved your life and gave you a greater purpose in a new one. This is your chance to save them as well. Risk everything, think of your life as a sacrifice during this mission. I'm sure you've heard plans of a surveillance operation, the biggest one in the world, that Hydra has been working on. It's your job to make sure all of that effort hasn't gone to waste,'' the woman explained as if in an official meeting, not standing outside of a dark cell.

''You'll have to kill people, many people, to save Hydra. But, that shouldn't be a problem for someone with no remorse or mercy,''

The woman stared into the cell, waiting for a response. The girl sat closer to the bars around her cell, her face still hidden in the darkness as she gripped her fingers around the metal that separated them.

''что мое имя?''

Her voice was rough and hoarse.

''My Russian is poor,'' the woman stood back.

''What is my name?'' the girl sat closer again, her face finally hitting the light so the woman could see her.

She seemed like a monster. A creature hidden in a cell underground because she was too dangerous to be allowed to roam free. An animal. Hydra's most threatening creation.

''You know you're name,''

''What is my name?'' she repeated.

She had been passed around to so many different organizations over the decades, so many facilities. But she could tell when she'd been captured or when she'd been hired. No one outside of Hydra knew her name, it was too dangerous. And even then, only those in charge or with authority were ever allowed to speak it.

''Rosalie,''

The girl nodded her head, pleased with the outcome. Hydra needed her help and she knew that now. The woman watched as Rosalie stood up, her body looking frail as if she was sick. Even with the black shirt she wore, the woman could still see Rosalie's stitches trailing up from her chest to the beginning of her neck.

This is why she was feared at Hydra. They'd brought her back from death, created her all over again. Programmed her mind, trained her body and made sure that her main skill set was in combat. She was precise and brutal, and although she hadn't turned on them, Hydra kept their distance. She asked for nothing in return because she had nothing to gain. No memories, no feelings, no emotions. She was a real weapon, just as they had wanted from the start.

* * *

**Wow sorry I haven't updated in a while, been a bit busy and also didn't know if I wanted to include more of the movie or not but I figured if you're reading this story, you've seen it, right? I hope so. I'll be including bits of the movie and dialogue and all, but I just wanted to set up all of this first. Anyway, hope you're liking this. Didn't think I'd kill Rosalie off for good, did you? I guess it was kind of obvious, but I liked establishing things first. So PLEASE REVIEW! :)**

**Also i accidentally updated this is one of my older stories, awkward moment but moving on now...**


	12. Chapter 12

Rosalie stared out the window of the jet as they neared the last few hours of their journey to Washington. She had yet to be briefed on what her mission was exactly, but she'd been assured that if she didn't complete it successfully, Hydra would be in serious danger. As far as Rosalie knew, Hydra was responsible for saving her life and bringing her back when a mission went wrong. She couldn't remember what had caused her life to be endangered, but Hydra had reminded her time and time again that without them, she'd be dead.

She couldn't remember much at all actually. Only her missions, the people she had killed and the tactics she'd used. Nothing else registered to her. Her mind was blank.

Hearing footsteps approach, Rosalie turned her head to see the same woman that had brought her here taking a seat across from her.

''My name is Laura, I work in the high-level areas of Hydra dealing with covering up tracks and repairing any damage that could lead back to us or our agents. Before we begin this mission, I must inform you that you're involvement will be a great risk. While a majority of Hydra agrees that you are necessary to this cause, a few others think you're not stable enough. This isn't a mission where you can walk around in broad daylight amid screams of horror and kill your target. We're trying to protect Hydra and make sure we stay off the radar for now, which means you need to be more careful. You go where we say to go and you do what we tell you to. Do you understand?''

Laura tried to remain calm as she used a firm voice toward Rosalie. Many agents refused to be around her out of fear due to how unreadable she was. Most of her briefings were done in a private room while she was restrained, but Laura didn't have time for that, the situation was too out of hand to worry about it.

''Who do I kill?'' Rosalie asked with a quiet voice.

Laura pulled two files from a bag and sat them on the table, sliding them over to Rosalie.

''They're SHIELD agents, and they're some of the best,'' she explained. ''They're too close to things we don't want them to know, and they'll tell the world about Hydra. We need to stop them at all costs. Their deaths with save Hydra,''

Rosalie opened the files, reading the names as she looked over their pictures. Steve Rogers, a blonde haired man who had served his country in the war back in the 40's and was found on ice almost 70 years later. He was a super-soldier, but Rosalie saw no challenge yet. She was skilled in assassination for a very long time, she knew what she was doing. The next person was a red haired woman, Natasha Romanoff. Russian, assassin, one of the best.

''They won't be the easy,'' Laura told her. ''They're unpredictable and they had connections to other people, powerful people, that could get in the way also,''

Rosalie looked up at the woman, closing the files and sliding them back over.

''Consider them dead,''

* * *

They arrived in Washington during the day and Rosalie was escorted to a waiting vehicle immediately. They couldn't risk her being seen or involved in anything just yet, it wasn't time. The agents stared at her as she entered the car, wondering how this was all going to play out. Rosalie didn't convey any emotion to them, they didn't know how to approach her. Their orders were not to speak to her at all unless she spoke to them, but they were sure that wasn't going to happen.

Rosalie looked out the windows once the car began moving, looking around the city she had been brought to. She couldn't remember being here before. She'd spent the past 50 years working in other countries, Russia mostly, and she hadn't been back to the United States in a very long time, or so she had been told.

It didn't bother her that a majority of her past was unknown to her. Her doctors and supervisors had all assured her that Hydra had protected her her whole life and that there was some things she wasn't meant to know, that it would be dangerous for her to know. However she had her questions and she asked them as bluntly as possible, wanting answers. Hydra always told her the same thing though, and on the few occasions she fought against them for more answers, or she managed to remember a small detail of her past, she would face a painful session in a metal machine that she had terrible memories of.

''An attempt to capture Steve Rogers, also known as Captain America, took place yesterday while we were still in the air. The attempt failed and Rogers is still out there somewhere, presumably with Agent Romanoff. They know things that could destroy Hydra and every moment that they are out there is a threat to us,''

Laura explained the situation again to Rosalie as if she forgot or didn't know how important their capture was. Rosalie just stared out the window, paying Laura no attention as her phone began buzzing. The car was silent as she answered.

''I have her with me now, I can send her in. We can't worry about that now, this is bigger than we assumed, we can't hold back simply because of the two of them. In the midst of what's going on who's to say it will even be a problem? I understand sir, I do. But if you want Rogers and Romanoff stopped, you have to allow me to send her in. I accept responsibility. Yes, sir,''

Laura sighed as she put her phone down. It was lucky that Rosalie was always prepped for a mission.

''They've located Rogers and Romanoff,''

''Ma'am, they're sending in the other one,'' one of the men turned in his seat.

''I'm aware. Rogers and Romanoff got away once already, I'm not risking it again,''

It was silent for a moment before Laura realized Rosalie was staring at her, startling her for a moment.

''Who else are they sending in?'' she asked, hearing the conversation.

''An attack team. They'll do their best to get to the targets, but we need someone like you to get to them directly,''

Laura sighed with relief as Rosalie turned back away from her, checking her weapons were secured on her body, loading guns and sharpening knives. The other agents watched on, intimidated, and didn't say a word.

One of the men looked to Laura with an expression that asked if she was sure about what she was doing. The Winter Soldier would be there, they couldn't predict what was going to happen when Rosalie showed up as well.

Laura didn't care about their possible reunion and what would happen afterwards. They had technology that could take care of that. All that mattered was protecting Hydra. Two targets, two soldiers. They couldn't fail.

* * *

Natasha Romanoff jumped into the front seat of the car she was travelling in, landing on Steve Roger's lap, moments after Agent Sitwell had been dragged from the car by The Winter Soldier and thrown into oncoming traffic. She'd had a run in with the soldier in the past and she knew that he was to be feared. He was merciless, all he had on his mind was his targets and right now they were everyone in the car. Steve looked out the windscreen, trying to get a good look at the soldier who was now on the roof of the car driven by Sam Wilson. Bullets sprayed down into the backseats until Sam slammed on the breaks, throwing the man on the roof off the car and onto the road.

They all watched on in horror as the man stood up in front of them. His hair was long, blowing across his face in the wind, but he wore a mask that hid his identity from them. He wore a combat uniform equipped with many weapons and a large gun in his hand, but the thing that took their interest the most was his metal arm, glistening in the sun.

As the chaos on the road was playing out, Laura had instructed the car carrying Rosalie to stop nearby beneath the road the targets were on and take cover. Rosalie stepped out of the car and stretched her arms, preparing for a fight as Laura moved over to sit at the window of the car.

''The targets are up their now, but you must focus on just one of them for now Rosalie. Losing them both is not an option, make sure that we capture at least one of them,''

''You want them alive?'' Rosalie turned to her.

''If possible, but their life isn't necessary. Just make sure-''

Laura was interrupted by an explosion on the road above them. They both looked up to see flames and debris shooting down, and in the midst of it all, Rosalie saw a man being thrown from the explosion and slamming through the window of an oncoming bus. He fit the description. Steve Rogers.

''I'll take him,'' she nodded before walking away slowly, scoping out the situation.

She was a professional. This was what she'd been doing with her life for decades now. Killing people came naturally to her, but it never became less precise. She had to make sure she factored in every situation that could arise from this one, to make sure that she had her chance to kill the man and still have time to go after the other target.

Steve woke up a few moments later inside the bus that was now flipped on his side and smashed in. He heard people behind him evacuating, making sure everyone got out safely. He looked up, relieved they were out of the way, just as he heard guns beginning to fire into the side of the bus.

Rosalie walked over to the vehicle as the guns began, a gun in her left hand as she approached faster, hearing footsteps inside. Steve was running from the continuing gunshots that pierced through the metal around the bus and barely missed him. However as he made it to the back of the bus and saw his exit, he saw another person walking toward him.

Dressed in combat clothing, just as The Winter Soldier, with long dark brown hair blocking most of her face from his view. He hadn't seen her before or heard of her, he'd only known of the Winter Soldier, but apparently there were more than just the one. The gunshots stopped as the men shooting saw Rosalie walking closer. Hydra and the agents knew all about her involvement and how vital it was that she and the Winter Soldier didn't interact. The only person who didn't know about her what the Winter Soldier himself who was now off chasing Natasha Romanoff.

''Who the hell are you?'' Steve asked, backing away.

In response, Rosalie held up the gun and aimed for his shoulder, knowing Hydra would have liked to question the man. Steve quickly ducked down and rolled, jumping up fast enough to start running when he saw that Sam Wilson was now shooting at the men, preoccupying them. Once the bullet missed his shoulder, Rosalie gave up on trying to keep him alive. His life wasn't necessary as they'd explained, so it wasn't going to get in her way now.

She followed after him with a quick pace, watching as he ran with a few glances back at her. There was no need to run after him, she had a good aim.

* * *

**Sorry for the short chapter, I just had so much more to write that would be more intense that I thought I'd save it for the next one. Please review!**


	13. Chapter 13

Steve ran as fast as he could down the busy street, but it seemed like no matter where he turned or how much pace he gained, the soldier was still right behind him, a menacing, controlled look on her face. She was focused on him directly, and he had to jump quickly out of the way of a spray of bullets aimed at him. He still had no idea who it was, but it wasn't a man.

It was clear that she was a woman, he could see her face and her features, but Natasha had only told him of on soldier, The Winter Soldier, and this wasn't him. Her paced picked up as she threw the gun on the ground, opting for another form of attack. Steve knew it would be pointless to keep running, she would only follow just as fast, so he stopped and waited for her.

She wasn't going to stop without fighting him, so he might as well get it over with.

Rosalie watched him as she closed in, slowing her pace as she stared at the man. He didn't hurry to her to attack, he didn't even put up a defense, he only looked at her as she did to him. He wanted to know who she was, what part she had in all of this. She'd come out of nowhere with no warning, but she looked just as dangerous as the man on the bridge.

She was the first to attack. Lunging at him, she grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back, waiting for his bone to snap. Steve groaned in pain as he pulled himself away, putting his hands up to block her kicks. They were in the middle of the street, people screamed and ran around them and cars screeched to a stop, but Rosalie paid no attention to them. She pulled a knife out of her pocket and flipped it in her fingers until it was aimed at Steve, throwing her hand at him with a great force. Steve ducked and missed the knife a couple of times before kicking her in the back, making her bend forward onto the ground. She pulled herself up quickly though and attempted once again, ripping through Steve's jacket but closely missing his body.

Steve was stronger than others Rosalie had dealt with, but she wasn't going to give up. When he knocked her down again, this time her head hitting against the concrete, he saw his chance to run and find Natasha. Rosalie felt her head throbbing, but she had learned long ago to ignore pain until the mission was over. She pulled herself up, spitting blood from her mouth and stretching her neck before calmly walking after him.

Natasha had just knelt down behind a car after being shot in the shoulder by The Winter Soldier. She'd fought him and briefly electrified his metal arm long enough to get away, but he'd found her in no time. She couldn't see where he was, she just held her hand to her shoulder and gritted her teeth before looking over the car and seeing the soldier standing there, aiming a gun directly at her. Until Steve showed up and distracted him.

''Do not engage!''

Rosalie's feet stopped at the command coming through as she walked into the situation. She had almost forgotten about the piece in her ear, mostly because she never used it. It was only necessary because of the more dangerous and risky missions she went on, but it wasn't for her protection, it was for Hydra's. They couldn't risk being caught and so they monitored and controlled her movements, stopping her before she went too far. Although sometimes it was pointless when she would ignore them anyway.

''Both targets are in my sight,'' Rosalie argued, standing back.

The red haired woman was sitting behind the car holding her shoulder. Injured, but she could still get away. Steve was fighting another soldier and although Rosalie didn't know who it was from the mask, she had a feeling he was Hydra.

''Do not engage,'' Laura's voice answered. ''Do not disturb the other soldier,''

Rosalie watched as they fought, keeping her eye on the other woman who hadn't noticed her yet. She stayed out of sight as Laura told her to, but she could have just walked in and finished the whole thing. It seemed pointless to watch on.

As the moments went on and the fight continued, it was difficult for Rosalie not to notice that the soldier wasn't getting anywhere. He needed backup. He was fighting against a man just as strong, Rosalie knew, and if she didn't step in, he would get away again.

Rosalie took a step before the voice came back in her ear.

''Do not engage! Rosalie, these are orders!''

Rosalie pulled the earpiece out and threw it on the ground, listening to it crunch beneath her feet as she walked over it. This was for Hydra. They had made it extremely clear to her that if this man and woman got away, Hydra would fall. The woman was wounded and Rosalie could hear backup coming, she wouldn't be a problem. But Steve wouldn't stop fighting. She only had to put a bullet or knife in his back, not kill him, and the mission would be over.

She walked over to the two, pulling a knife from her pocket and tossing it around in her hand. As she got closer, she watched as Steve threw the soldier over his shoulder and onto the road, ripping off his mask.

''Bucky?''

The soldier stared back at the man, his face now exposed. Rosalie looked over to him, remembering his face for future reference, but he didn't mean anything to her. She held no recognition for him, not even his name.

''Who the hell is Bucky?''

A man then appeared behind the soldier, descending from the sky with wings and kicked Bucky down before he could shoot a bullet into Steve. Rosalie ran over to the blonde man, making sure he didn't escape. She made it to him moments before a missile was launched behind her and into the soldier as he ran out of it's path. Everything happened so fast. Choppers and cars showed up seconds later with guns aimed at Steve and the others, and Rosalie walked away after shoving Steve to the ground carelessly.

It wasn't the most well organized mission, but it was complete now.

Rosalie waited for no further instructions as she walked over behind the other soldier, making her way out of the area. He hadn't turned and looked at her yet, for all he knew she was just another Hydra agent. The smoke from the explosion was thick around them as they walked. Rosalie was sure Laura would appear in a van any moment now and throw her inside. She'd be punished for once again failing to follow orders, but she was used to these arguments by now. She might not have followed orders all the time, but all of her missions were successful.

Bucky could hear footsteps behind him as he walked away. His mind was preoccupied with the idea of that man knowing him, recognizing him. He called him Bucky, a name he hadn't associated with himself before. He knew the man, but he couldn't remember how. As he continued walking, the footsteps behind him started to become annoying, like they were purposely aggravating him. He turned angrily, prepared to meet the cautious gaze of an agent escorting him back to a vehicle, but instead he saw a person he thought he'd lost long ago.

As the smoke swirled around her, Rosalie looked up as she walked, seeing the man staring back at her. His hair was shoulder length and messy, almost like her long brown hair. His eyes were wide as if he knew something she didn't, but she had no interest to find out what it was. He was no more than another Hydra soldier to her, another person fighting for the same cause she was.

Bucky's breathing stopped as he realized who he was looking at. He thought he was imagining it until he saw her eyes meet his, taking him right back to the last time he saw her eyes staring into his. She was in his arms, bleeding and dying, fading away. Rosalie was dead, she didn't exist anymore, but he had never been more sure of what was right in front of him.

All of his other thoughts had left him, his mind solely on the woman who paused for a moment, looking at him, before she continued on. She took her eyes off him and walked past, her hair blowing right in front of his face. There was no mistaking who she was, but she seemed like a different person. Perhaps he was imaging things after all. This person seemed so much crueler and colder than the woman he knew, but he could never mistake her face. It had been in his head for as long as he could remember.

''Rosalie?''

Bucky's voice only just made it to her as she passed him, his whisper stopping her. She turned to him, her eyes vacant, a clear indication to him that she had no idea who he was. He knew her name, which to Rosalie meant that he was definitely Hydra. The way he stared at her should have made her question him, but she was used to the stares. Rosalie turned away then, unfazed by the situation, and continued walking out of the smoke, leaving Bucky.

That was Rosalie. The eyes, the lips, the hair, the voice, it all brought back so many things to him. But this hadn't been the first time he'd seen her.

Whenever he did manage to sleep, she clouded his dreams and his nightmares. He'd relived her death over and over, he knew she was gone, but she was also always with him. He'd seen her on missions before too. Caught a glimpse of her face among a crowd of people, saw her walking by his room at whatever facility he was at. Rosalie was everywhere to him, but this was the realest one he'd experienced. It was as if she was right there in front of him, as if he could have reached out and touched her. But when he watched her walk through the smoke, she was gone.

Bucky took a few moments before he too began walking on, knowing that once again his mind was reminding him of what he'd done and what he'd lost. Rosalie was dead, there was no bringing her back.

* * *

Rosalie sat in the steel chair she'd been thrown onto, her feet planted firmly on the ground. Her wrists had been bound together behind her back, not that it would stop her if she needed to attack or wanted to get away, but it made the people in the room feel safer and she wasn't in the mood to fight against them after she'd just got back from that mission. Thrown in a van and transported to some underground facility as usual.

''You went against orders,'' Laura shook her head as she stood by the door, looking over to Rosalie.

Rosalie just stared up at her, no emotion on her face. A blank page.

''Are you going to defend you actions? Justify them?''

The silence in the room made Laura frustrated. Rosalie would only speak when she wanted to, and Laura was getting sick of it. She was aware how dangerous this woman was and how much she was capable of, but she was just about done with tiptoeing around her. She was a soldier, a weapon, she didn't get to disobey those in charge.

Laura didn't have a chance to say anymore when she heard a bunch of footsteps coming down the long hall. She breathed nervously as she took a few steps away from the door, walking closer to Rosalie who just stared at the door mindlessly. A few moments later, the door was opened, and in walked in a man in a light suit. His hair was a dusty blonde color, his age showing in the wrinkles over his face. The room was quickly filled with five other agents, all heavily armed, but the man's eyes stayed fixed on Rosalie.

''Secretary Pierce,'' Laura smiled, worry making her lip tremble slightly.

Bringing Rosalie in was her idea, and it had been clear that Pierce didn't totally approve of the decision, and he was in the charge of this whole thing.

''Please don't call me by that when I'm here,'' he looked over to her.

She wasn't exactly on his good side right now.

''So, this is Rosalie Waters,'' he stepped closer to the woman on the chair.

Rosalie stared up at him, not saying a word, not greeting him kindly. She'd heard of the man. He oversaw everything that happened within Hydra, including everything she had to go through to get to this point. There had been a few other men that had been in position before, but they had either died by now or been killed. Leading Hydra wasn't the safest job.

''I don't think there's a person in Hydra that hasn't heard of your efforts,'' he looked at her. ''Your actions have helped make Hydra what it is today. There's no one else like you among us,''

This made Rosalie respond.

''Who was the other soldier?'' she asked.

Pierce changed his tone.

''What do you know about him?''

All of the agents looked at her, awaiting her response. The amount of trauma her mind had been through made her forget everything in her like, but still, the doctors couldn't guarantee if she'd remember him or not. Pierce worried they'd unleashed a problem they weren't ready to deal with right now when Hydra needed them both to fight.

''Nothing,''

''You don't know him?''

''I don't want to work with another soldier, he'll get in my way,''

Pierce looked over to Laura with a hopeful grin.

''But you don't know the man? He doesn't mean anything to you?'' he pried.

Rosalie glared at the man, tired of his pointless questions.

''He means nothing to me,''


	14. Chapter 14

_I knew him._

Bucky's mind was foggy with memories of the day he'd been through. Pierce didn't like that he had memories of Steve Rogers, the man he's once been best friends with before Hydra took over his life. He's been punished for remember and for reacting to it, but now he knew the man wasn't a friend. He wasn't supposed to remember him, so he wasn't going to.

The image of Rosalie that day stayed with him though. So clear in his mind, as if she was right in front of him. He thought back to the moment he imagined her standing behind him and he regret not reaching out to touch her even though he knew it wasn't real. She wasn't real. The only person he ever remembered, the only person he cared about and who didn't treat him like everyone else in his life now did, that person was gone. No matter how many haunting memories he had of her and how many times he imagined her being near him, she was gone.

But that man on the bridge. Bucky knew him, he was sure of it. His voice when he called him Bucky, the way he stared at him like he was seeing a ghost, it was all so familiar. But it couldn't be. Bucky didn't have memories of anyone else, he wasn't supposed to know that man.

* * *

Pierce walked over to the man in the corner of the room dressed in a white lab coat. Rosalie had many different doctors, specialists, professors and scientists who studied her, the best being the scientist in Russia. He studied her for years, wrote about her personality and attitude changes and knew how to deal with her. However after being dragged away from the country and into Washington, one of Hydra's other scientists was forced to answer Pierce's questions.

The scientist was younger than the others and he hadn't worked this closely to a mission before, but he was one of their best.

''She has no memories of him,'' Pierce said simply, expecting the man to explain.

Rosalie was being inspected by others now, making sure her physical condition was still fine and that she didn't need any mental therapy. She couldn't hear what Pierce was talking about, but she knew it would be about her.

''According to her file, she's had no memories of him for a very long time,'' he nodded.

''That's exactly how I plan to keep it. But they've remembered each other in the past, even after being wiped. I can't risk the idea that if she keeps the memories of what happened today, she'll remember, and we can't have that,''

The man looked over to Rosalie, wondering if he would be responsible for putting her into that machine he'd researched. The one that electrocuted someone and made them suffer painfully in order to wipe their memories. He would do it if he had to, but he'd read Rosalie's file many times. The amount of times she'd been in that machine, it was horrifying.

''Sir, with the things that have been done to her mind, I'm surprised she is still capable of speech. Her mind has been wiped of memories over and over again and altered in ways you can't undo in one day or even ever. Her brain isn't a flash drive, you can't just delete things as soon as you're done with them,'' he explained, continuing before Pierce became angry. ''She hasn't seen the soldier in over 70 years and her memories have been wipes countless times since then. Those memories are long gone, she won't get them back, so it's not a problem. He doesn't register to her, there's no risk anymore,''

Pierce considered his words.

''Not on her side anyway. The Winter Soldier still has all his memories of her,''

''You didn't wipe those memories when you called her in?''

''I didn't call her in,'' Pierce looked over to Laura before going on. ''But there wasn't any time, not when there's a threat against Hydra,''

The man just stared at him, awaiting instructions. He didn't want to put Rosalie in the machine again, not after reading her file and knowing that her memories coming back wasn't a risk. Not after how much her mind had already been through.

''Take her back to her holding cell, that's all,'' Pierce told him, turning toward the door. ''I've got a lot more to deal with than this doctor, so if any of her memories come back to her about him, I'm holding you responsible if anything happens,''

''Yes sir,''

* * *

Rosalie was sitting in another room not long after Pierce had left. She had a minor cut on her arm that needed to be stitched and although she could easily do it herself, Hydra wanted to to monitor her as much as they could. Her health had been more difficult to take care of then the other soldiers. Hydra had revived her from death with powerful medicine and inhumane methods. She couldn't remember much about waking up the first time, but she recalled a lot of pain. Pain so strong that she could handle any injury she suffered from missions since then.

The man Pierce had talked to earlier walked into the room, causing Rosalie's eyes to lock on him.

''I'm Dr. Graham,'' he told her politely. ''But we'll be dealing with each other for a while I think, so you can call me Nathan,''

Rosalie just continued staring at him, no polite smile on her lips to return his, just nothing.

''Or not,'' he looked away from her, moving over to the table of equipment beside her. ''I'll just stitch this up,''

As he began to clean her wound, Rosalie looked back down at the floor. She'd been passed around to many organizations, many different doctors, all wanting to study her and get to know the soldier that people were talking about, but she didn't like socializing. She answered the questions she wanted to and stayed silent for the rest of the time, knowing it wouldn't be long before she was gone again.

''Don't worry, you're not going into the machine again,'' he told her. ''At least not today,''

Nathan was loyal to Hydra, but he never agreed with the way the super soldiers were treated. Both of them had gone through so much trauma and torture, but Nathan was honestly amazed that Rosalie was still alive after what she'd been through. He didn't want to cause her any more pain, not unless it was necessary or Pierce ordered it against his protest.

Laura walked into the room just as he was beginning to thread a needle through Rosalie's wound, her arms folded as if she was about to give a lecture. Rosalie looked up at her with an uninterested expression, knowing what she was going to say.

''When you get orders on a mission, I expect you to follow them,'' Laura told her in a firm voice. ''If I say do not engage, you do not engage. You follow my words, are we understood?''

Rosalie said nothing, as usual, and Laura shook her head in annoyance.

''You're lucky Pierce has bigger things to deal with. The targets failed to reach the scheduled execution area,'' she explained. ''They've escaped us, once again,''

Now Rosalie's attention was taken. She looked up to Laura with interest and the woman noticed. Her annoyance could be pushed aside when she saw how important finishing a mission was to Rosalie. Her loyalty was clear.

''Where?'' Rosalie asked.

''We don't know. They escaped out of the van escorting them. One of our guards was found unconscious inside, which means our other guard wasn't who we thought. SHIELD is getting closer to us, we have to assume four of their agents know about Hydra and will stop at nothing to expose and destroy us,''

Nathan tried not to get to consumed by the conversation as he continued stitching Rosalie's arm, surprised at how she didn't seem to flinch at all during the whole process. Hydra was going through something big right now, it all made sense as to why Pierce had no choice but to accept that Rosalie was necessary in Hydra's protection. But he could see something bad coming out of it all. Not just for Hydra itself, but the super soldiers. Involving them like this wasn't going to end well.

''There's no way to determine where they've gone,'' Laura informed. ''They've covered their tracks and we've had agents searching for them since they're escape was noticed, and we've found nothing,''

Rosalie didn't understand why she wasn't being sent out to find them, hunt them down and kill them for being a threat to Hydra and for escaping them once again. They didn't have any idea where they'd gone, but Rosalie knew ways to draw them out. She'd tracked people before, she had hunted them down and lured them out of their hiding holes in some very unpleasant ways, she could do it all again.

''We've chosen to take action when they do,'' Laura told her with a sigh as if she was unhappy with the idea as well.

''Their action will destroy Hydra,'' Rosalie told her. ''Send me out,''

''I can't do that,''

''I will find them and I will kill them. I can do it alone, those agents are of no use anyway,''

''It's against my orders to let you go. You'll be called upon when there's news, but until then you're off duty,'' Laura turned toward the door. ''Dr. Graham, escort her to her cell once you're done,''

Rosalie watched as the woman left the room, wondering why she'd come in at all if she wasn't going to send her out on a mission. Rosalie wasn't used to being told to sit back and wait for someone else to attack before she did. Her orders were to attack before they did, stop the problem before it became one. This wasn't how she worked.

Although she moved around to many different places in the world, Rosalie couldn't help miss her routine back in Russia. It was all so simple. Mission, kill, complete. Day after day, night after night, for months on end. Ever since her first memory of waking up to Hydra, she had been in Russia. That's where she'd been trained, where she learnt what she was and who she worked for. All of answers came from there, but being here was different.

Hydra never told her the complete truth, she was aware of that, but it didn't bother her until today's mission. They were hiding something from her that involved her, she could feel it. They were tiptoeing around her much more than before, they were asking her questions and testing her memory, things they didn't usually take the time to do after any other missions. Something else was going on.

''All done,'' Nathan told her as he finishing cleaning up the stitches. ''I'll take you back to your...cell,''

Rosalie pulled herself off the table, following behind him as he unlocked the doors and then was instructed to walk ahead. Nathan felt for her and all she'd been through, but he also knew just how dangerous she was, and he didn't trust her at all.

''Does anything else hurt?'' he asked, making sure he hadn't missed any other injuries.

Rosalie looked back at him, wondering why he spoke so much before shaking her head. Even if she did have any other injuries, she couldn't feel anything. She had a high pain tolerance and after decades of being wounded and patched up again, she didn't know what was considered a major or minor injury anymore.

''Good,'' he nodded with a smile.

When they reached her cell, Rosalie walked inside without looking back at him and sat in the corner of the room, staring at the wall in front of her as she crossed her legs. Nathan stood at the door for a while and watched her pull out a switchblade knife and begin twirling it in her fingers. It was terrifying to watch. The speed that the blade ran over her skin and in between her fingers would have been enough to make someone dizzy. He noticed after a few moments that her eyes were closed, all of her focus on something else entirely.

Nathan locked the door and pushed it a few times to make sure it was secure, glancing over her again. Everything they had done to her had taken a toll, no matter what anyone told him, she wasn't stable or mentally fit for duty at all. Her mind was a hollow shell.


	15. Chapter 15

Rosalie could hear the shouts from outside her cell. Everyone was in chaos, something had happened. Their targets had made their move. They should have hunted them down before it came to this, but it was too late now.

''You're needed,'' Laura rushed to her door, unlocking it hurriedly. ''The target, Steve Rogers, is in SHIELD and he's exposing Hydra, we need to stop him and find the others,''

Slipping her knife back into her pocket, Rosalie walked out the door and past Laura, pushing past the other agents as she made her way to the exit. Laura followed behind her with a quick pace, letting her lead the way out. Laura could tell she was in the appropriate mindset. She was only thinking of one thing and that was finishing the mission she was assigned.

''You won't be working alone this time I'm afraid,'' Laura told her cautiously. ''It's too dangerous to risk losing our targets again,''

''I don't work in a team,'' she told Laura as she continued walking, heading for the door guarded by heavily armed Hydra agents.

''It's not a team, you just won't be the only soldier with orders to kill Rogers and the others if we find them,''

''As long as they stay out of my way,''

Rosalie said no more, knowing that the idea of working alongside someone wasn't what she should be focusing on.

In the past, she'd proven that she wasn't partner material. Other people got in her way or couldn't do what was necessary, it was easier to do it herself. She didn't like the idea of having to keep an eye on someone else either, having to keep their safety in mind, it wasn't how she wanted to work. Everyone for themselves was the way she liked it.

''How far from the SHIELD headquarters am I?'' she asked when the guards let her walk out the door.

''Approximately two minutes away. Do you need more time to prepare?'' Laura asked, pointing her to their transportation.

Rosalie shook her head in response. She was always ready, and even if she wasn't, time wasn't on their side.

When they got into the car, Laura watched as Rosalie tightened her uniform. The vest underneath her suit was secured with the pull of the belt outside, and she made sure the weapons under her sleeve were in place before she stared ahead at the road they were traveling on, counting down their arrival.

''Shoot to kill is permitted,'' Laura told her, although Rosalie wasn't even considering keeping them alive.

''Just take me there,''

* * *

_Everything was hurting. All she could feel was pain. Searing, burning, unbearable pain. Gloved hands were on her chest, a metal rod shoved into her flesh to retrieve the bullet that was lodged inside. Rosalie couldn't move, her body had been restrained down for some reason, but she could feel everything._

_''She's waking up,'' one of the men said, his voice on edge. ''Ready the injection!''_

_Rosalie could feel the pain burning even more as if her waking up was making it worse. She had no idea what had happened or why she was here. In fact she didn't know anything. Her memories were all blurry and muddled, she didn't know what was real or not. Nothing made sense to her. The only thing she knew was true was that right now she was in excruciating pain, and she couldn't remember why._

_''Injection ready sir,'' _

_Groaning and moving her head, Rosalie tried to pull herself up, but she was pushed back down. Restraints around her wrists were pulled tight before she felt the needle of the injection enter her chest, the liquid beginning to swim into her veins. Within a second, her eyes shot open and her body heaved itself up, trying to escape the restraints but having no luck._

_The scream that escaped her throat was violent, all of the doctors and surgeons stepped back out of fear. Her reaction continued for a while longer before her body lost all energy, her back slamming down onto the bed as she desperately tried to take in as many breaths as she could._

_''Relax,'' one of the men advised, shining a bright light into her eyes. ''It's all gonna be okay,''_

_Rosalie's breathing became hurried, her heart beginning to beat with panic. She couldn't remember a thing. Why was she in here? Why was all of these doctors covered in blood?_

_That's when she looked down at her chest and saw she was covered in red, her blood staining her skin and clothes all the way down to her waist. Her eyes widened in fear, terrified of what happened that she could not remember._

_''What did you do to me?'' she asked, trying to move but once again being pushed back down._

_''We saved your life,'' the man insisted. ''You were dead, we brought you back,''_

_Rosalie looked at the man as if he was insane. _

_''Impossible,'' she shook her head. ''Where am I?''_

_''You're at a Hydra base,''_

_''Hydra?'' she repeated, the name sounding familiar as if it held meaning to her. ''What's that?''_

_The doctors all looked between one another and Rosalie could faintly see them smiling, satisfied. They pulled out their notepads and began scribbling on them, but Rosalie wasn't so calm. She pulled against the restraints and groaned angrily, glaring at the man next to her._

_''What happened to me! Why am I here!'' she shouted._

_''You were shot, you were dead for hours,'' he explained finally. ''Hydra found you and saved your life, bringing you back with everything that we had,''_

_Rosalie looked at him with a confused expression, not understanding how it was possible to do such a thing._

_''Why?''_

_''Because you have a gift that no one else has. You were made to protect others, to fight and kill those who stand in Hydra's way, to be a powerful soldier,''_

_''I'm not a soldier,'' she shook her head, certain. ''You've got the wrong person. I don't have a gift, I'm...I'm not a soldier!''_

_The man paused and looked at her thoughtfully._

_''Then who are you?''_

_Rosalie's mind was blank. She had no idea who she was, where she came from or how she got here, but she was sure she couldn't have been the person he was talking about. She wasn't a soldier and she didn't kill people, it couldn't be true._

_''I don't know,'' she admitted, becoming rather distressed. ''I don't know what you've done to me or how I got here,''_

_''Hydra has been protecting you. We saved you from death, we cared for you as we pulled the bullet from your chest and revived you. Your name is Rosalie, and you do have a gift, you'll soon see,''_

_Rosalie just wanted to cry. She wanted someone to hold her, but she didn't even remember who that person would be._

_''How can I trust you? I don't know who Hydra is!'' _

_''The world is full of many different people and organizations, all of which stand for things that will tear the world apart. But Hydra is the answer to the world's problem. There are many things not to trust Rosalie, but Hydra is not one of them,''_

* * *

Rosalie arrived at the Triskellion moments later, her feet taking her hurriedly to the helipads before the car even stopped. Steve Rogers was hijacking them, taking Hydra's decades of work and progress, burning it all down for the world to see. She wasn't going to let him get away this time. There'd be no second chances, no hesitations that allowed her target to live. If she saw her target, she was going to kill them.

''Two targets, focus on Rogers. Make sure the helicarriers targeting blades aren't tampered with, do not let them get close to it,''

Laura's voice came through to Rosalie, warning her that she would be facing two enemies now. She pulled out a machine gun from behind her back, making sure it was loaded before she picked up her pace. Steve Rogers was nowhere in sight, but there were agents scrambling all over the place. Rosalie had been warned that Rogers had sent a warning to SHIELD agents letting them know that they didn't know who to trust anymore, and therefore some of them attempted to shoot at Rosalie as she walked.

But she was much quicker. Before bullets left their guns, Rosalie shot them down. As she hurried past them, she saw that Steve Rogers was on the level below, the second helipad. Rosalie didn't even hesitate as she jumped down the steep and dangerous drop, rolling back to her feet and cracking her neck effortlessly before making her way over to the man dressed in the blue suit.

Steve turned when he heard footsteps behind him, expecting to see more agents, but being met with the same woman from the previous day. Her eyes were angry as she came at him, her fist colliding with his face forcefully. When he was knocked backwards, Rosalie didn't bother waiting for a chance to fight him. Instead, she lifted her gun and aimed at his wide eyes before she was lifted from the ground.

A man in a suit, wings extended out, flew over the sky with her in his arms, throwing her down the side of the helipad. Rosalie acted quickly and pulled a knife from her belt, stabbing into the side of the helipad and grabbing onto it as it dug deep into the metal. With her teeth showing, Rosalie groaned in frustration as she pulled herself up, throwing her legs over the side and standing up on the helipad again. She was far away now, and Steve Rogers was being lowered back down onto the helipad by the winged man, their legs beginning to run.

Rosalie pulled a gun from her side and shot toward them, causing them to duck for cover. Holding her fire until she got closer, Rosalie carefully watched her surroundings until she found them, pulling her hand up and aiming at Steve Rogers. However she was stopped once again. This time it wasn't the man in the suit, it was another soldier. The same one she saw the day before when they'd first captured the targets.

Bucky jumped out from behind one of the larger containers and tackled Steve to the ground. Before Rosalie could aim once again and finish the job she was sent in to do, Steve was kicked off the side of the helicarriers helipad. The man in the suit went into the air again, pulling out two guns and shooting at Bucky. Rosalie shot at the man in the air, hoping to cross him off the list to make things easier.

Shooting a grappling hook toward the man in the sky, Bucky ripped the man back down to the concrete. He walked over and grabbed the man's wing, tearing it off the suit before kicking him off the side of the carrier. Rosalie watched as the man fell, knowing he wouldn't be able to fly anymore. However Steve Rogers was still hanging off the side of the carrier.

They weren't sent here to kick their targets off the side and leave them dangling, they were meant to kill them. However now Rosalie's mind was on the targeting blades inside, she had to make sure they weren't tampered with. If Steve survived and made it inside, she'd kill him then. But for now, she had to move on.

Working with others was never something she was good at and Rosalie was beyond angry at the other soldier for ruining her plans to kill each of the targets. This was her mission and her mind was only on one thing and he'd stopped it all.

When Bucky looked up at the other person nearby, he froze. He was seeing her all over again. Rosalie was standing right in front of him, staring at him with such a vacant look. Bucky knew it couldn't be real. Her memory haunted him everywhere, it all felt so real. But in the light of day, she looked so real, but at the same time she looked completely different to him. Her eyes, the eyes he'd been imagining for decades, seemed so empty and tormented as they stared back at him.

She's not real, Rosalie's dead. He had to keep convincing himself. However that all changed when Rosalie began walking toward him, a glare in her eyes.

''Stay out of my way!'' she spat at him, her arm shoving against his chest with unbelievable force.

Bucky's eyes widened, all of the air knocked out of him at once as he felt her touch against his body. Rosalie pushed past and kept walking over to the main door of the helicarrier, going inside to continue her mission with no idea of what she had just done.

With one shove against his body, she'd just changed everything.


	16. Chapter 16

Bucky remembered her bleeding in his arms, the sound of her gasping for air as she told him how much it all hurt. Everything else in his life was a blur, but he remembered almost everything about her clearly. The sound of her voice, the warmth of her skin, the determination he felt when he was beside her, but most of all the fact that he was the one to have killed her. If he had just followed HYDRA's orders, if he hadn't tried to fight back, she wouldn't have died.

But there she was right in front of him, clearly alive. All those times he had been seeing her in his mind were nothing compared to her forceful push against him. She was alive, but it seemed impossible. HYDRA had buried her, cut her open and taken out their alterations, she was supposed to be resting in peace.

Rosalie had no knowledge of what she had just done, her mind on the mission only as she walked into the helicarrier and made her way to the bridge where Steve Rogers was hurrying over to the panel in the middle. One more of those targeting blades and Insight was destroyed. Everything HYDRA had been working for, everything she had been working for, all gone.

Steve's arm reached out to the panel, but he was soon jolted backward by a bullet nipping the tips of his fingers. When he turned around, he saw the same woman from the streets standing across from his, a deadly look in her eyes.

''Don't do this,'' he shook his head, pulling his arms up for her to see after he swiftly slipped the blade into his pocket.

''I have orders,'' Rosalie told him, stepping forward. ''Give me the targeting blade,''

Steve shook his head.

''I can't do that,''

Rosalie lifted her gun once again, but Steve was faster. He threw his shield toward her and knocked the weapon from her hands. Looking over to him with a vicious look on her face, Rosalie started stalking along the bridge to the man, intent on finishing her mission. There were only three minutes for Rosalie to make sure the blade didn't get in the system and for Steve to try and stop HYDRA.

When Rosalie made it over to Steve, she didn't waste anytime before throwing the first punch. Her fist collided with his face with more force than he was expecting, knocking him back a few feet. He only just straightened himself up when he felt another hit to his jaw, a kick to his side and then the sound of a switchblade knife being opened. Steve jumped out of the way as Rosalie tried to jab him with the knife, moving further away from the system and across the bridge.

''Rosalie!''

Steve's eyes darted from the woman and up to the entrance where Bucky now stood, staring at the woman.

''Bucky,'' Steve looked up at his old friend.

Rosalie's eyes flickered toward the other soldier for a moment before angrily shoving back at Steve whose attention then turned back to her. He grabbed her hand when she went to hit him again, twisting it back until she yelped in pain. It was only for a moment though. Rosalie jumped off the ground and used the railing of the bridge to give her the push she needed to swiftly bring her leg around and kicked Steve in the side of his neck. When he fell to the ground at the force, she ran over and began rummaging through his pocket for the targeting blade.

''Let it go!'' he shouted when he caught her hand.

Rosalie rolled them from the bridge down onto the glass floor beneath them, narrowly missing the opening that would have sent them flying through the air and into the water below.

Bucky watched as the two of them fought, his orders clouding his mind. He had to help protect HYDRA which meant stopping that man he found so familiar, but everything was changed when he found out Rosalie was actually here. She had been the only thing on his mind for decades and all this time he thought she was dead because of him, and now she was really here. Alive.

But he had orders and so did Rosalie.

Steve fought against the woman with as much force as he had, but she was strong just like him. HYDRA must have had her in training for a long time, used the most torturous methods to get her into this shape and give her such powerful skills. They had done the same with Bucky, and since he was shouting out to her, Steve assumed they knew one another. Except the woman didn't acknowledge him the same.

''Drop it!'' Rosalie growled, grabbing Steve's hand.

''No!''

Rosalie pulled out her knife again, pressing it against Steve's fingers hard enough to draw blood, slowly trying to pry his hands up. She knew she had orders to kill him and she didn't have a problem with having to do so, but sometimes she became too involved in the fighting, she almost forgot about the killing.

Bucky was struggling to settle his thoughts as he stood up on the bridge. Everything that he remembered was swirling through his mind like a tornado, confusing him with every flash of memory he experienced. For decades he had been doing this work, following HYDRA's orders and being the weapon they needed, but there was only one memory he had through it all, one person that he cared about an would do anything for and she was right in front of him.

He had orders, but right now this was more important. If Pierce had him put back into cryo or into that machine for doing this than so be it, but he wasn't going to miss his chance after all of this time. They had been messing with his mind for far too long. Not only with Rosalie, but Bucky knew this man. Steve was so familiar to him, like he knew him from another life. HYDRA had taken everything from him and he was realizing it all now.

''Rosalie,'' he called out when he made his way down from the bridge.

Rosalie continued to hold down Steve's hand, struggling to grasp the chip in his hand. It would have all been a lot easier if she still had her gun or enough time to reach for another, but now she was improvising with a knife and it proved rather difficult to get through Steve's uniform.

Bucky's voice was in her ear, but she didn't bother looking. Not until he said her name like no one else ever did.

''Rose,''

The woman's eyes widened, her grip on the knife loosening as she paused. Steve had no idea what was going on, but as long as the chip was still in his hands, he didn't have to fight.

_Rose._

No one called her that. The HYDRA agents that she dealt with knew her name was Rosalie, it was the only way she followed their orders after being tossed around to numerous groups to fight, but no one ever called her anything but that. There was something about it that made her heart begin beating faster than ever, her whole body stiffening and feeling as if all the blood was leaving her system.

When she turned to the man behind her, everything seemed different. It was as if the word Rose had pulled her from a trance she had no idea she was in, but she still didn't understand why. Her name sounded different coming from him. The way he said Rose reminded her of a time when she heard it constantly. Losing her memory on certain events was nothing new to her and she understood that HYDRA was protecting her and themselves by doing it, but she hadn't remembered anything they wiped before. Bucky's face, his voice, everything about him meant nothing to her before he said her name like that, and now it felt like he meant everything, But she had no idea why.

_Two minutes_

Steve was reminded of the mission at hand, stopping HYDRA. They didn't have enough time to do this even though Steve had no idea what was going on. Bucky and this woman were obviously involved in something, but Steve had no choice but to break it up.

When he began to move, Rosalie turned back to him and grabbed his wrists, but Steve had had enough. Using all the force he had, Steve put his foot on the woman's stomach and flipped her over his head, throwing her behind him. Rosalie clawed at the glass, trying to find a grip, but it was useless. She had lost her concentration after Bucky had called out to her, she couldn't fight back quick enough. Her eyes locked with Bucky's as she struggled to hold on to the top of the glass, her legs swinging from beneath her in the air.

''No!'' Bucky yelled, beginning to run over.

It was too late though, Rosalie's fingers slipped off and within a second she was gone from his sight and Bucky turned to Steve with anger in his eyes, preparing for a fight.

* * *

_''I'm with you 'til the end of the line,''_

Despite being only a few words, Steve had managed to get through to Bucky. After inserting the last targeting blade, Steve had instructed Maria Hill to blow up the helicarrier even though he was still inside. He wasn't going to leave his best friend even if he couldn't remember who he was, but in the end Bucky did. Even if he was confused about it, he knew that Steve meant something to him.

Bucky had wanted to kill him for throwing Rosalie out of the helicarrier, but he couldn't do it. When he watched Steve fall into the water just as Rosalie had, Bucky had dived in after him from the exploding craft and pulled him to the shore.

HYDRA was ruined. His memories were scattered all around his mind, he didn't know where to go and he didn't know what to do from here on. The whole day felt like a nightmare, he wasn't sure what was real or not, but when he began walking away from Steve's body on the shore, he saw another a few feet away.

Rosalie was washed up on the shore, her upper half on the sand the rest of her body still in the water, waves washing up onto her back. As Bucky walked closer he saw that Rosalie's hands had scraped at the sand. She had managed to swim to shore, but just barely. Bucky bent down beside her, pushing the hair from her face to look at her.

It had been so long since he had done something so simple and so gentle. He couldn't believe she had been alive this whole time, but with that knowledge, he feared what they had done to her. Bucky knew what HYDRA had done to him, but he imagined that she had gone through worse given the state of her. She looked a lot different to what he remembered, but her skin still felt just as soft and she still looked just as beautiful.

''Rosalie?'' he spoke quietly. ''Rose?''

Exhaustion had overtaken her.

Bucky looked around, worried that there were agents here for their extraction. He wasn't going to go back to HYDRA, not after all of this. They had kept her from him, left him with the memory or her death and made him believe she had been buried decades ago. He couldn't let them mess with his mind any longer, not when he had finally found her again.

Reaching down, Bucky lifted Rosalie into his arms. They had to get away now before anyone came looking for them. With another glance over to Steve, Bucky began walking away, his eyes skillfully scanning their surroundings to make sure no one was following. He wasn't going to let anyone get to them, he wouldn't let them hurt Rosalie anymore and he wasn't going to let himself be taken either.

After 70 years of being HYDRA's slaves, of their minds being altered and being ripped away from one another to be weapons, this was their chance to get away. Rosalie might not remember him when she woke up, but just as it was when they were first taken by the organization, they had only each other.

HYDRA had taken enough from them.

* * *

**So just letting you guys know that from here on there will be no movie plot followed it will be all new, original stuff and I hope you guys will like it. Thanks for reading and please review :)**


	17. Chapter 17

_Rose._

_Rose?_

Rosalie's eyes slowly opened, a groan escaping her lips as she sat up from her curled position. Everything in her mind felt foggy, a headache surging through her skull as she focused on what was in front of her. A highway. Cars were everywhere, horns honking and the sun was shining down on her face with a burn.

''Are you okay?''

Turning to the voice beside her, Rosalie saw the man that had been following her on her missions. His long, messy hair was drooped over the sides of his face as his eyes flickered between her and the road, his eyes full of concern. Rosalie nodded her head in response, still staring at him as if any minute now she was going to realize who he was.

Rosalie had to know him, she knew that. No one else called her Rose and said it in a way that gave her a sense of familiarity, of comfort. It had been a very long time since she met anything that was familiar to her, but this man meant something to her, she knew that much.

''Bucky,'' she spoke, remembering their target calling him that.

''You remember me?''

''No,'' she shook her head, Bucky's hopes falling. ''But I did,''

Bucky looked over to her with a nod, confirming. He wished that she would remember. Not only for him, but because it would make everything they were about to do easier. They were going to run and find somewhere to hide, somewhere to stay where Hydra couldn't find them if the organization was still going which he knew they would be. Hydra was everywhere, there was no destroying them entirely in one day, it wasn't possible.

But he was going to do everything he could to keep them both safe.

''Hydra made you forget,'' he explained. ''They wiped your memories, they've been doing it for decades,''

''Why do you remember? You're a Hydra soldier too,''

''They made me remember, my own personal torture, so that I would comply,'' he told her, gripping the steering wheel tight. ''They killed you right in front of me, you died in my arms, but...somehow they brought you back,''

Rosalie watched him carefully, picking up on the fact he was being completely honest with her. After so much time with Hydra, it was easy to pick up when someone was lying.

''So this whole time you thought I was dead,'' she asked, watching as Bucky nodded his head, his eyes on the road. ''How long ago was that?''

''Over sixty years ago,'' he sighed. ''But since they wiped all my other memories, it feels like yesterday,''

Turning to look out the window, Rosalie wondered what it would be like to remember her own death. More than anything though, she wondered what it would be like to remember Bucky like he remembered her. Rosalie felt strongly connected to Bucky as if he was the closest thing she had to family, but she had no memories of why. She pulled her legs up to her chest and put her head in her hands, trying to calm the confusion and pain that was going through her mind.

It was silent in the car for a few minutes as Rosalie tried to get her thoughts together and Bucky looked over as they slowed to a traffic light, wondering if she was okay. Hours ago, that was him. His mind was in chaos as he tried to come to terms with the fact that Rosalie was still alive, that Hydra had lied to him for all of these years. It was unnatural what they did to them.

''Don't focus on what you can't remember, focus on what you can,'' Bucky spoke, Rosalie's head popping up from her hands to look over to him.

''I remember that Hydra saved my life,'' she admit. ''But that's not true, is it?''

''Hydra are the ones who killed you,'' he told her. ''Because of me,''

''You?''

''I can't explain it,'' Bucky shook his head. ''We just have to get away from here,''

''Where are we?'' she sighed in frustration. ''And where are we going?''

''Just out of Washington, I don't know where we're going, I'm just getting us somewhere safe,''

''What about Hydra? Pierce will be looking for us,'' she told him. ''Laura will be looking for me, I'll have to go back in that...''

Bucky looked over to her, knowing exactly what she was talking about.

''You won't go back into that machine, you never will. Pierce is dead, Hydra's fallen,'' he told her. ''The targets stopped him,''

''We didn't kill them?''

Bucky thought back to when he had Steve pinned down, throwing punch after punch into his face, he had come so close to killing him and finishing the mission, but he couldn't. He knew that man like Rosalie knew him, but he just couldn't remember.

''It's over now. We have to get out of here,''

''They'll have eyes on us,'' Rosalie sat back, her gaze on the rear view mirror.

''No one's following,''

''They're trailing, they'll be further back,''

''No one is following,'' he said again. ''I've been driving for almost an hour, we're clear,''

''Hydra wouldn't let us just walk away,'' Rosalie snapped. ''We're on a mission that's failed, Hydra is not going to let us-''

''Listen to me!'' Bucky raised his voice. ''Hydra has been compromised, the people we work for are dead, we have no mission anymore!''

Rosalie stared back at him with an angry glare, but she wasn't mad at him. She was mad because she couldn't process what was going on. Bucky had told her they wiped her memories, he had explained briefly what had been going on for all these years, but it didn't make sense to her. After all this time living with the idea of Hydra saving her life to find out that not only was that a lie, but they were the the ones who killed her, was something she just couldn't understand. She had no memories of them doing anything wrong. To her Hydra was saving the world, she was doing the right thing and working for the right people. But that was all a lie.

However there were memories in her mind she couldn't get to and that was what frustrated her the most. She knew Bucky, and she knew that he was important to her, but she just couldn't figure out why.

''Who's left?'' she asked.

''I don't know,'' he told her honestly. ''I don't care, we can't trust any of them,''

''Then who can we trust?''

''We used to be able to trust each other with our lives,'' he told her honestly. ''If we're going to get away from all this and stay alive, we have to do that again,''

''But I don't remember any of that,'' she huffed angrily. ''I take care of myself, I always have. I can't remember ever giving someone else trust over my life,''

''Don't think about what you can't remember,'' he repeated. ''We'll get to that later when I know we're safe. But right now, we have to run together. If we split I don't know what they'll do if they find us, if they're still out there and I know Hydra has agents everywhere, I can't risk it,''

''I don't know-''

''I know you can't remember me, but there's a part of you that does, just like there's a part of me that still remembers...but can't at the same time,'' he told her, the face of the man he fought flashing back in his mind. ''And I need you to know that that part of you used to trust me,''

Rosalie listened to him carefully, believing him completely. Whatever memories she had in her mind of him, however foggy and distant they were, she knew that he wouldn't lie to her. She could see it in his eyes that he cared, that he wasn't manipulating her.

''Do you trust me?'' he asked, reaching an intersection that would take them out of town and far away.

There was a brief pause and for a moment Bucky thought she was going to get out of the car, noticing her hand beginning to move toward the door. But she didn't.

''I trust you,''

* * *

After a few hours of driving, Bucky had decided that they couldn't stay on the road any longer. If Hydra was looking for them, they would expect them to be driving as far as they could. Even though they were considerably far away from Washington where everything had happened, they were both uneasy about the idea of hiding out in the car for the night. Bucky had an idea to take the back roads and find a rest stop where travelers would spend the night, but after the day they both had, he knew that they needed to stop first.

Rosalie was in no sort of clothing to go into a store, but when they pulled over at a gas station she had managed to strip off the top half of her black tactical suit and let it hang at her waist, the grey shirt beneath making her look more average. However the dark circles under her eyes, her pale skin and the way she was used to walking still happened to give off the vibe that she was not a friendly person.

Bucky watched as she put all of her weapons on the seat, determined to not gain anymore attention. His eyes locked on her arms or more specifically the scars that ran along them. Hydra had really treated her like a rag doll over the decades she was at their service. From testing internal modifications to ripping them out, stitching her up and brainwashing her into a weapon, Rosalie was the only person on this Earth that Bucky understood.

''I'm taking a gun,'' she said, loading the weapon and sticking it down the back of her suit. ''But...the rest are here,''

Rosalie looked over to him nervously as if she was questioning her earlier decision.

''I'm not going anywhere without you,'' he assured, sensing her nerves. ''Now go, we can't risk being seen. Get necessities only,''

It had been a long time since Rosalie had to worry about blending in without the motives of killing anyone. Everything she had ever done was for missions and for Hydra, but this time it was for survival and not just hers. After being on her own for so long and turning her back on trusting anyone, it was surprising just how drawn to Bucky's word she was. Something told her he was being honest, he wouldn't hurt or lie to her, and even though she didn't remember their history, she knew it was there.

Necessities. Everything inside the small gas station store looked the same to her. It wasn't as if she had been shopping very much or even at all in the many decades she had been in Hydra's service.

''Can I help you miss?''

Rosalie's focus shifted to the man behind the counter, a smile on his lips.

''No,''

''You sure sweetie?''

''I don't need your help,'' she snapped, walking down one of the aisles.

It would be so much easier and quicker if she could just pull her gun out and make demands, but it didn't take an assessment of the situation to know that drawing that kind of attention wasn't going to help them in any way. Rosalie wasn't used to thinking of her own well being let alone someone else's, but she just treated it like any other mission she had been on. Get from one point to another. Improvisation.

Bucky had been worried ever since Rosalie left the car, his eyes not leaving the door of the store, counting every second she was inside. Earlier that day he was working for Hydra, his loyalties with them and his only goals to follow their orders and take down anyone in his way. That all changed when he realized Rosalie was right there with him, and now his goals were keeping her safe. She may not have the memories that he did of their time together, but this was the first step in finally getting them both away from Hydra for good, in getting Rosalie back, and nothing was going to get in his way.


	18. Chapter 18

Neither Bucky or Rosalie were bothered by not sleeping for the night having endured much longer without a rest, and they didn't want to risk stopping at a highway motel until sunrise when they could be found easier. They just wanted to keep going for as long as they could and get out of the area where Hydra could track them. Bucky was sure any agents left would have bigger things on their mind, but then again they were two of Hydra's best assassins, their best secrets and their biggest assets. There was no doubt someone out there would be looking for them. Maybe even the man on the bridge would be looking for him too.

Either way, he wasn't going to stop driving.

Rosalie had grabbed enough supplies at the gas station to get them through a few days even though Bucky knew they'd have to stop for something like gas or other essentials. Along with food and water, Rosalie had grabbed a couple of first aid kits when she spotted them on the shelf and was currently working to stitch up a wound on her shoulder. Bucky still couldn't stop staring at he scars on her body from where Hydra had torn her apart and put her back together, but he was hoping the cut she was stitching up was the last she ever had to.

''They never did that for you?'' he asked.

Without taking her gaze away from her work, Rosalie shook her head.

''I didn't like them touching me, they didn't like being near me. It was easier to do it myself. Didn't you?''

''I couldn't really do anything to this without them,'' Bucky lifted his metal arm. ''It's all connected to me with wires and mechanics I don't understand,''

Rosalie paused to look up at his arm, noticing how it was set up. For the past two days she had seen the metal arm, but she had looked straight past it. Bucky had been no more than another soldier to her, in fact she saw him as more of a problem since he happened to be everywhere she was and getting in the way of her orders, but now that she felt that connection with him, the feeling of familiarity with him, it was as if she was seeing the prosthetic for the first time. What Hydra must have done to him all this time.

''I could look-'' Rosalie began, cutting herself off when she realized it may have been too forward. ''Uh, I've worked with that sort of thing before,''

''I'd feel a lot better with you taking a look than Hydra,'' Bucky nodded, turning to scan the rear view mirrors.

Bucky could see out of the corner of his eyes that Rosalie's attention had gone back to stitching up her wound, her hands moving expertly and her face showing no signs of pain or discomfort. He didn't like thinking of what she would have had to go through to get to this point, what Hydra would have done to her to make her this detached from her own pain and feelings. However it wasn't hard to imagine the process, having been through it himself.

They didn't speak much as the drive continued, their destination still unknown. All that was on either on their minds was getting as far from the wreckage in Washington as possible. So far they hadn't noticed anything unusual, no cars following behind them and no police having been tipped off about who they were. One advantage of being a Hydra agent was that there were no other connections. No family, no friends, no one they would see more than once out on the field during a mission. It was a lonely life, but in situations like this, it happened to give them an edge.

''I should drive from here,'' Rosalie suggested, her voice piercing through the silence.

''No,'' Bucky shook his head. ''I can drive,''

''We have a better chance if we swap. You have your own injuries,''

''Nothing I haven't had before,''

Bucky's mind was instantly brought to his arm which had had a bone snapped earlier in the day. Like Rosalie, there was a certain amount of pain he could deal with without it becoming a problem and even with his left leg aching constantly, he knew he would be fine.

''Trust me, it's better if I take over for a while,''

''We don't know where we're going,''

''Which means this shouldn't be a problem,'' she told him firmly. ''Pull over,''

After a few moments of hesitation, Bucky finally pulled off the road on the highway and let Rosalie take over. He didn't know why she was so persistent, but soon realized that both of them were used to working on their own. Being the leader of themselves and having control. From now on, they were going to have to share that responsibility, as much as it went against their normal working routine.

Rosalie checked every mirror as she began to pull back out onto the road, making sure they were still travelling alone and there wasn't any followers behind. Hydra had people everywhere, but maybe after all that happened that day, bigger things were on their mind. They were being exposed and that meant both Rosalie and Bucky were going to be known as well, which added even more people to their list of potential threats.

''Eat something,'' Rosalie told him, her eyes still on the road.

''I don't need to,''

''We're driving through to sunrise, you need to maintain energy,'' she lectured. ''Especially with a broken arm,''

''I'll eat if you eat,'' he bargained, knowing she would need to feel better too.

''Fine,''

Reaching into the stash of items Rosalie had purchased at the gas station, Bucky pulled out a box of chocolate covered granola bars. Gas stations didn't have the widest selection of bulk foods and Rosalie wasn't experienced in picking out snacks. These seemed appropriate enough.

Bucky handed one to Rosalie as she drove, both of them unwrapping the bar and taking a bite. It had been a long time since Rosalie had chocolate and she missed the sweet flavor, savoring every time she chewed down before she realized there were more to gorge on.

Two deadly assassins, the world's most dangerous agents, snacking on chocolate granola bars.

* * *

Bucky felt safe with Rosalie driving, he didn't feel like she was going to turn on him or that she was driving him right into Hydra's next plan. In the short time they had been back at one another's sides, they had both changed dramatically. The connection was still as strong as ever, their partnership and trust still standing. Rosalie hadn't felt so secure around another person in a very long time, but here she was ready to do anything and go anywhere with Bucky. Something inside her knew he wouldn't hurt her.

However even if he felt safe, Bucky still didn't try sleeping. He felt the exhaustion heavily on his shoulders like a load of bricks and rubble, but he didn't dare close his eyes. Not only were the nightmares constant, but now he feared not only what would happen to him, but Rosalie too.

They had made the decision to go as far as they could until they found somewhere that looked appropriate and remote. Fortunately Bucky and Rosalie had experience illegally wiring funds from accounts and had stopped at the last gas station to pick up enough supplies to last a while. Bucky had then taken over driving again and they continued out of town, the sun beginning to set.

''Maybe Hydra _is_ gone,'' Rosalie looked over to Bucky, the wind blowing strands of her hair near her mouth.

He couldn't help the slight smile at her wiping the strays away.

''They'll never be completely gone,'' he shook his head. ''They're everywhere,''

''But the ones that controlled us are gone and we took our chance to run. We can't let them find us,''

''I won't. Not again,''

Rosalie frowned.

''You ran?''

''We both did,'' he gripped the wheel tighter. ''But Hydra is everywhere,''

She couldn't remember running away with Bucky before, but she imagined it would have been somewhat the same as their journey so far. However this time was different and even she knew that.

''With Hydra's fall the other agents will be preoccupied, they're not looking for us right now. We've got enough time to go wherever we want and...stop all of this,'' she explained, her voice turning quiet. ''I don't know who we are or what we're going to do, but...we're free to find out,''

* * *

_Two days later_

Rosalie could hear tires creeping up toward the tiny house, it was hard not to when the long dirt driveway was littered with rocks and there were no surrounding neighbors or roads to mask the noise. Even though she knew who it would be, Rosalie grabbed a gun that was sitting on top of the kitchen bench and pushed the curtains across just enough to see a light brown Chevy pick up rolling up next to the house.

Setting the gun down just beside the door, Rosalie walked out in time to see Bucky lifting out two boxes. One full of groceries, one full of materials that could be turned into deadly weapons.

''Trouble?'' Rosalie asked, arms folded close to her chest.

''None,'' Bucky shook his head.

He was wearing a long sleeved jacket and his hair was pulled back into a low bun, a baseball cap pulled over the top of cover most of his face from anyone he would be dealing with in the closest town. Rosalie held the door open for Bucky to walk inside as she scanned the perimeter around the house before following him.

Bucky sat the two boxes down and shrugged off his jacket, revealing his metal arm underneath his grey t-shirt. The day before they had both ventured into town and gathered clothes that made them look much more average than their mission gear, disguising them perfectly.

''We shouldn't have to leave again for the rest of the week,'' Bucky informed. ''These are backup, they need to last,'' he added as he pointed toward the box of weapon materials.

''Hide them under the floorboards, keep them close,'' Rosalie nodded. ''Just because it's quiet now doesn't mean it will be for long,''

Hydra couldn't find them here. There were no connections that would bring them here, no tracks to follow, no leads or lose ends. It was a small house on a mountain just outside a Montana national park. The landowner was surprised anyone wanted to live there considering how old and secluded it was, it was almost completely unknown. But for them, it was the perfect location to hide.

''I thought you might want to see this,''

Bucky held out the newspaper for Rosalie to take, watching her carefully as she unfolded it to see the front page. Even though she trusted Bucky and played a part in the events that unfolded a few days earlier, seeing Hydra's fall on the cover of a newspaper made it all the more real. The flames from the helicarrier, the wreckage in the Potomac, the face of Alexander Pierce. The whole world knew about Hydra's collapse, they knew about everything.

''They know who we are,'' Rosalie looked back over at Bucky, his eyes having never left her.

''They know about Hydra,''

''We're Hydra,''

''Not anymore,'' he shook his head firmly. ''From now on we don't exist anywhere but right here,''

Rosalie shook her head and folded her arms, unable to believe they could let go of life as they knew it so easily.

''I have killed more people than I can count, done things that no one else would and I did it for decades. I fought for an organization that killed me and brought me back to become their weapon,'' she explained. ''I don't know who I am other than that person,''

''Neither of us do,'' Bucky reminded. ''But they're not controlling us anymore, we are,''

Rosalie moved to sit on the arm of the couch, her eyes gazing over everything in the room and around them, thinking.

''How are we supposed to find out who we were before all this?'' she asked. ''All I know is my first name,''

''All I know is Bucky,'' he shrugged. ''But Hydra's secrets are all out there now which means so are we. Maybe not much, but it's something. And I know a few things about you that I don't think you do,''

''Whoever you remember me being, I don't think I'm that person anymore,'' she admit.

''You are,'' he nodded. ''She's still in there,''


	19. Chapter 19

Sleeping was never an easy task for Bucky. On the odd occasion that he would actually get some rest and close his eyes, an explosion or gunshot in his dream would wake him up in panic. That, or he would have horrible flashing memories of what Hydra had done to him and all of the painful processes he had to endure.

When he opened his eyes, Rosalie instantly came into his vision. She was sitting on top of the corner table, a gun in one hand and the other pulling back the curtains slightly to peak outside. They had been in this house for a week now and they had come to a silent arrangement. Neither of them liked resting when the other was too. Someone needed to keep a lookout. They may not have ran into any trouble so far, but they were programmed to always be thinking like this, always ready.

''I died more than once, didn't I?'' Rosalie asked, knowing Bucky was awake.

Her eyes were still looking out the window, but she looked deep in thought as Bucky pushed himself up on the couch. Through the small opening of the curtain, the moonlight hit Rosalie's face and lit her up, her pale skin illuminated.

''You were shot,'' he nodded.

''But I died before that. I've been remembering things, I don't know if they're real or not, but they_ feel_ real. I remember fading out while a man screamed for someone to help me, and I think it was you,'' she finally looked over at him.

Bucky thought he imagined that too. Everything from the days when they were being experimented on by Zola was a foggy mess to them. Pieces were still in their memory, but they didn't know what to believe. They felt like dreams.

"They were taking you away," Bucky nodded, his voice coming out in a whisper. "I've dreamt about it, I didn't know if it was real either. I've relived it a thousand times,"

"I think it was real. I remember hearing you, but I couldn't move," she looked down at her hands, twisting the gun around. "I _want_ to remember more. Everything…it's all in pieces, it doesn't make sense,"

"I know what it feels like," he sighed.

They remained silent for a while, the only noise the wind blowing outside and brushing the leaves of the large tree against the roof. It would have been a very calming sound it they weren't both searching for other noises as well.

"I don't understand why I can talk to you like this," Rosalie admit. "So easily, and honestly,"

"Because you know me. We've done this before, but a lot has changed,"

"Which is why I should be leaving and going off on my own. I should have gone the moment I woke up after the mission, you shouldn't mean anything to me, I should have killed you," she shook her head. "But…I don't want to, I want to stay,"

Bucky fought off a small smile as he heard her words. It was reassuring to know that connection was still there, that she still had those memories of him.

"I won't let them get to you," he promised. "I won't make that mistake again,"

"I can watch my own back," she assured. "And I'll watch yours too,"

Bucky nodded in agreement. Rosalie may have been a lot different to how he remembered her, but she was the same girl underneath everything Hydra had done to her. And as for the bond that they had created over sixty years ago, it was still just as strong.

"You should sleep," he stood up, holding his hand out for the gun.

"Not for another hour,"

"I won't sleep again, you might as well try," he encouraged.

Soon enough Rosalie handed him the weapon, looking out the window once more before walking over to the couch. There was only one bedroom in their small house and it would have worked out well with their security shifts if they didn't take such a liking to the soft couch. Even though they hadn't said it, they liked being in the same room. It always made them feel safer.

Rosalie didn't plan on getting any sleep as if was normally a difficult task, but she couldn't deny how tired she felt when her head pressed against the soft cushions.

"Your hand,"

Turning to Bucky's voice, Rosalie looked at him quizzically. One arm was tucked under her head as she laid on her back and the other was stretched out beside her with her hand open.

"Helps me sleep," she explained quietly. "I don't know why-"

"I used to hold it," he shook his head as if he couldn't believe what he was remembering. "We held hands when Hydra had us, in case...in case something happened,"

Rosalie stared back at him in amazement, her lips falling open slightly. She didn't know what to say in return because truthfully she couldn't remember. Maybe one day it would all come back to her, but it had only been a week.

She had been sleeping this way for as long as she could recall, whenever she had the chance to try and rest. But she had no idea why until now. Unknowingly searching for comfort from someone she had forgotten.

"Sleep," Bucky reminded, settling into the position she was in moments earlier. "You'll be safe,"

* * *

It had now been officially two weeks since Bucky and Rosalie had found sanctuary in the small house in the mountain. They had set up surveillance around the surrounding roads and hills through rather dangerous contraptions, but the fear of Hydra still lingered. However it was nice to be able to walk outside with the threat lowered, to enjoy things that they had been kept away from all these years.

Simple things such as listening to birds chirp, watching wind flow through trees and feeling the comforting warmth of the sun. It was the picture of normality, but they still had a long way to go before it felt real.

Rosalie could hear footsteps against the ground nearby and she felt no need to doubt it would be Bucky. She lifted the mug at her side and took a sip of the warm liquid, continually spinning a switchblade knife in her other hand.

"Nothing's been set off," Bucky told her as he walked closer.

Everyday they checked the security around their property, but so far they had been living uninterrupted. It made them both relieved and anxious, waiting for something to happen.

"I'll check the others in the afternoon," Rosalie nodded.

"I checked all of them, there's been nothing," Bucky shook his head. "But you can check again if you want,"

"I'd feel better sleeping if I double checked," she sighed. "Small price to pay I suppose,"

Bucky looked down at the mug beside her sitting in the green grass, the brown liquid making his lips quirk into a small smile. Over the past week he had noticed how Rosalie had taken a strong liking toward hot chocolate.

Looking up around the picturesque mountains, Bucky knew they were lucky to be here safe. To have somewhere so remote and secure made them both feel better about relaxing into this new life.

"You can sit," Rosalie told him.

Bucky waited a few moments before doing so, looking around him out of habit before he planted himself on the ground not far from where she was. There was a tree nearby providing shade from the bright morning sun and since neither of them were accustomed to spending so much time outside in these conditions, they were grateful for it.

Rosalie wasn't wearing her usual black uniform, instead opting for a long sleeved shirt and grey sweat pants. There wasn't much to choose from at the local shops, they didn't exactly cater for assassins in hiding. Bucky was also taking a break from his heavy duty leather uniform. A grey t-shirt and black cargo pants was his usual ensemble now. If anyone were to stumble upon them up here living in the mountain they would just see a young couple who wanted to get away from the city, nothing unusual about them at all apart from slightly paler skin and a few noticeable scars. They might question the metal arm though.

Luckily they had received no visitors.

Bucky noticed a thoughtful look on Rosalie's face and couldn't help reading into it. They spent a lot of their time here in silence, but they were slowly opening up to each other as much as they could. Even if it was a simple gesture such as handing one another a blanket or a cup of hot chocolate.

''Are you okay?'' Bucky asked, figuring he might as well.

''I'm fine,'' Rosalie nodded, her eyes still staring at the sky. ''Just thinking,''

''About?'' he pushed. ''You...you just look upset,''

''I'm thinking about what my life is now. We're not with Hydra, we're not taking missions, we're not doing _anything_ anymore. It's not that I want that life back, I don't, I like this. But I keep thinking about what I did before all this, who I was...''

''I know,'' Bucky sighed. ''I think about that stuff too,''

''What do you tell yourself?''

''That everyone I must have known is dead and so is the person I used to be,'' he admit bluntly.

Rosalie stared at him for a moment, accepting that it was the truth. Whatever life she had was over. There was no family for her to run to. Bucky was the only person she knew and he was the only memories she held as well. But it didn't stop her wondering.

''I can't help wanting to know who I was, what Hydra took from me,'' she spoke quietly. ''I know it shouldn't matter after everything,''

''It's good that it matters. It means Hydra isn't in your head anymore,'' Bucky told her. ''You're not their property now,''

Rosalie watched as he looked away, thinking of what he must have lost. Although he didn't express it, she knew he wanted all of that information too. But Rosalie had memories of Bucky before Hydra changed him, before he became who he was now.

''I think I knew who you used to be,'' she spoke. ''The person trying to help me when Hydra was experimenting on us, I knew him,''

Bucky smiled lightly before looking away at the mountains.

* * *

Bucky was taking watch one night, his skilled eyes scanning out of the kitchen window as he walked through while chewing on an apple. Rosalie was in the bedroom next to the living room getting some rest since Bucky had insisted he would be staying awake. She had been up the past few nights as he slept, making sure everything was okay.

When they were out in the field they would keep watch all night without a wink of sleep, but it was a bad habit when trying to adjust to normal life. They were slowly getting better though, now using the actual bed to sleep in rather than curling up on the couch. It was starting to feel more like a home.

Bucky was looking up at the bright moon outside when Rosalie began screaming. It was a skull piercing scream, one that made his heart stop before he ran toward the bedroom, picking up a gun on the way. Bucky barged through the door ready to kill whoever was attacking her, but all he saw was Rosalie laying in bed, her body trembling as her fingers clawed at the sheets. It was then he realized that the threat wasn't in the room but in her own head.

"Rose!" he hurried over to her as her scream turned into a painful groan. "Rose, it's okay, you're okay,"

Shaking her shoulder, Bucky kept calling her name as she cried, finally moving to pull her up into a sitting position. After a few seconds her eyes snapped open, her face glistened with sweat in the moonlight as she stared back at him.

"You're okay Rose," Bucky assured.

Rosalie looked at him as her eyes narrowed, studying who he was. Bucky moved his arm to touch her shoulder again but before he got too close she caught his hand, pushing him back and onto the floor as she pushed her elbow into his chest.

"Rose!" Bucky choked.

"What's your mission!" Rosalie demanded.

Bucky didn't want to hurt her, but Rosalie was extremely strong. He lifted her off him and pushed her against the wall.

"Rosalie, look at me," he told her gently. "It's just a dream, you're okay,"

Rosalie didn't want to listen, instead she kicked him in the stomach and threw him through the door and onto the floor of the living room. Picking up the gun he had dropped, Rosalie walked out and watched as he sat up, pointing the weapon right at him.

"Rose, it's me," he told her in a voice just above a whisper.

Rosalie continued to point the gun at him, but her hand shook with fear and Bucky noticed. She must have dreamt about running from Hydra and thought he was here to hurt her. The dreams could be so real sometimes. Most of the time.

"I'm not gonna hurt you, I'm not gonna let _anything_ hurt you, I promise," he pleaded, sitting up and looking into her eyes. "It's you and me Rose, come on, look at me,"

Hands shaking out of control, Rosalie began to slowly drop the gun as she realized what was going on and who was in front of her. How could she do this to him? How could she think he was ever a threat? But it felt so real. Why Hydra had done to her wasn't ever going away.

"Bucky…" she cried softly, one hand covering her mouth as the other dropped the gun onto the floor.

Without taking his eyes off her, Bucky nodded.

"Yeah Rose, it's me,"

Dropping to her knees, Rosalie covered her face with her hands and began to cry. Hydra had turned her into a monster and she had almost hurt the one person she cared about. Bucky moved over to her and put his arms around her, pulling her close.

It was the first time since being here that he had seen this side of her and although it meant a breakthrough, right now it was heartbreaking to witness.

"I'm sorry," she whimpered into his shoulder as he stroked her back. "I'm sorry Bucky,"

"Hey, don't cry Rose," he soothed. "It's okay,"

"It's never gonna leave me alone, I'm always gonna be their monster," she shook her head. "I just want to sleep without seeing it all over again, I just want to let it go,"

Bucky pulled her closer and held the back of her head gently, trying desperately to let her know she was safe and he was there for her. There was nothing he could say, he didn't know how to make it better. He knew the dreams and the memories she was talking about, he didn't know how to make that go away, not even for himself.


End file.
