The Winter-Soldier's Dark Angle

Chapter 13

After they hopped onto the plane, they landed in France. Now, nearly 6 months after, life was somewhat normal again.

Pondering a last time over the weekly street market, they halted at the fruit stand. Winter had developed a liking for plums and so, not one time did they leave without a handful of the sweet fruits.

"What is it about you and those fruits?" the woman chuckled, handing the elder lady her money. The brunette shrugged, placing the net in his basket. Thanks to Angel's previous work, she was able to make fake skin, which he could put on as often as he wanted. As he carried the basket with his left, he extended his right arm for the woman to link her own with it. Smiling, she placed her hand on his forearm. He was becoming partly his old self again. There were times, he still was haunted by the happenings Hydra put him through but he recovered very well.

"Ready to go home?" James asked, looking down on her. His eyes still glowed under the shadow of his cap. Brown locks brushed out from under the blue material. A single one broke free and rested on his forehead. Angle's free hand rose to his face, tucking it behind his ear.

"Yes," she smiled, her eyes scanning his face for a moment before setting off towards their flat.

The summer sun shone warmly onto the city as the two arrived in the small place they called home. Chuckling, they entered the room and rounded the corner towards the kitchen as they stopped dead in their tracks. A somehow familiar blonde with bright blue eyes and a blue armor suit stood there, his shield tucked to his arm.

For a moment, he looked straddled. His eyes darting between the two ex-assassins.

"Bucky," he started but the brunette cut him off.

"No. Not Bucky, James Buchanan Barnes. What do you want?" His voice was gruff as he spoke. A bad feeling arose in his guts about the situation. He was not the only one with this impulse.

"James, your nickname is Bucky but we have time for that later. Now, we have to get you and ..." the blonde trailed off, looking at the woman.

"Angel," Winter answered before she could tell him her name.

"We have to get you two out of here. A S.W.A.T team is about to take the door down. They are here to get you, Buck." The moment he finished talking, someone knocked on the door. Three pairs of eyes widened before a table got stuck behind the door, blocking it entirely.

As they tried to take it down, a smoking can flew through the one window while another flew through the second glass plain. The captain threw his shield over it before a bright flash of light shone from underneath. The smoke thickened, making it hard to see and even harder to breathe.

Black wings unfolded, slipping through the back of her top. At this moment, men broke through the windows, aiming for the brunette.

"Winter!" she called, throwing herself in the way. Bullets stroke through her feathered limbs.

"Bucky, Angel," the blonde called as the table started to give up. The brunette steadied the corporal before leaping for the blonde. A first rose and broke through the floor, fetching a backpack from under the floorboards. The female had now a backpack in her hands as well.

"I just want to be left alone," he growled, wanting to follow the woman out the window. A hand stopped him.

"I just want you two save. Those people think you'll hurt innocents. Meet me in the old warehouse on the edge of the city if you want to prove them wrong." The moment after, Barnes was jumping out the window, falling for a moment before he was caught.

--- Time Skip ---

The sun was setting as Steve paced near the entrance. Now it had been somewhat about 4 hours since Bucky and Angle left the flat.

"Cap, calm down. It is no use to pace a hole into the floor but to annoy us," Stark stated as he munched on a donut. Just as the blonde was about to shot back at him, the door was pushed open and a man with long hair hanging into his face entered. He was followed by a woman with an unusual broad frame. As the light of the setting sun was shut out again. The team realized that the woman had wings.

"Bucky?" Steve asked and walked up to them. A metallic hand rose and caused the captain to stop dead in his tracks.

"If I agree to work for you, can you promise to keep her safe?" he asked and turned his head towards the woman. Her wings and shoulders were hunched and her face showed discomfort.

The blonde wanted to answer but was again cut short.

"Before you answer, listen. I don't need the protection but we both have people on our heels. If we agree to take whatever opportunity you have to offer, I have to make one thing clear. If you risk his safety, I promise to hunt you down till the end of the universe and if he ever tells you to hold me back because it 'is too dangerous', don't," she stated and the look in her eyes scared the Avengers to no end.

"We don't want you to work for but with us. We give you the opportunity to prove the people wrong about you two. We want to help."

"What if we don't want the help?" James asked, his voice a dangerous growl.

"If you didn't, you wouldn't be here," Steve stated and crossed his arms over his chest. Winter looked at the woman next to him for a moment. A hint of surprise in his blue-grey eyes.

"We want to know what this chance would look like?" the angle asked and drew the Captain's attention.

"You would become an Avenger and fight for what is right," he stated. The two ex-Hydra-slaves looked at each other.

"Fine, we are in."