In a Heartbeat / 𝐩. 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫

e i g h t e e n

We were in some sort of bunker, you were guessing. They rolled Bucky past you in some sort of glass pod and you made eye contact with him for a split second before looking away. You held so much anger towards that man right now that if you looked at him any longer you'd burst. He'd just left you, and after Steve had tried to convince you that it wasn't your fault, you finally believed him. It was Bucky's fault. He's the one who chose to leave, and it broke your heart at just how easily he did.

Leaning against Steve to walk, you followed him, who walked up to some man in a suit, standing beside Sharon.

"What's gonna happen to him?" Steve questioned.

"Same thing that ought to happen to you. Psychological evaluation and extradition." The suit man said.

Sharon gave you a sympathetic look before looking at Steve. "This is Everett Ross, Deputy Task Force Commander."

"What about our lawyer?" Steve asked. He was certainly in some trouble, and so were you.

Ross snorted. "Lawyer? That's funny. See their weapons me are placed in lock up. Oh, we'll write you a receipt."

"I better not look out the window and see anybody flying around in that." Sam said and you giggled, but he gave you a look which said he wasn't joking.

Steve wrapped his arm around you waist and helped you walk down the hall and into a covered skywalk.

"You'll be provided with an office instead of a cell. Do me a favour? Stay in it." Ross said walking away.

"I don't intend on going anywhere." T'Challa mumbled. If he wasn't trying to kill Bucky, you'd totally be admiring him for perseverance.

Natasha walked up and gave you a sad look. You could tell she was apologizing without saying it aloud, but you didn't care and looked away, clutching Steve as he continued to walk. "For the record, this is what making things worse looks like."

"He's alive." Is all Steve said before you walked into a room.

In the room, Tony was there, talking to someone on the phone. "No. Romania was not Accords-sanctioned. And Colonel Rhodes is supervising cleanup."

"Try not to break anything while we fix this." Natasha said annoyed.

Tony was still on the phone. "Consequences? You bet there'll be consequences. Obviously you can quote me on that cause I just said it. Anything else? Thank you, sir." Tony hind up the call.

"Consequences?" Steve raised an eyebrow.

"Ross wants you three prosecuted. Had to give him something."

"I'm not getting that shield back, am I?" Steve sighted.

"Technically, it's the government's property. Wings too." Natasha butted in.

"So what am I?" You spoke up, everybody looked at you and there was an awkward silence.

"That's cold." Sam said breaking the ice.

"Warmer than jail." Natasha said waking off.

Sam and Steve huddled together not far from you, and you leaned your shoulder on the wall for support and shut your eyes. You still felt like your head was spinning. The metal contraption was still around your neck, and you were scared someone would switch it on at any moment. You opened you eyes to see Tony coming your way. He put his hand on the small of your back, and you flinched away from his touch. "(Y/n), I'm sorry. I didn't want to use it." He said. You could hear the pain in his voice.

"Why'd you have it in the first place, huh? Do you know how much it hurts? Of course you don't, cause nobody will ever need to use it on you! I wish you knew how badly it hurt, but nobody should ever have to feel that pain, no matter what." You looked him strait in the eye, and if looks could kill, man, Tony would be a goner. "Don't ever touch me. Again." You said before waking off to go see Sam. Steve and Tony made their way into the glass office in the middle of the room, and you stood beside Sam.

"How're you feeling?" Sam worried. He looked at you and eagerly waited your answer. He really wanted to help somehow.

"Like somebody put my brain through a blender." You grimaced. Sam put his hand on your shoulder and you flinched.

"(Y/n), I'm not going to hurt you. You know that, right?"

"I didn't think Tony was going to hurt me, and he did." You snapped before walking off to go see you mom.

"Sweetie, I'm really sorry—"

You cut her off before she could say more. "I honestly don't care right now. I'm just tired."

"Well, you should have stayed away from this! I am sorry but you decided to get involved!" Natasha snapped at you. "If Steve had just listened, and didn't do anything stupid, none of this would have happened."

"Don't blame Steve! I'm an adult and can make my own decisions. I decided to not sign the Accords, and I'm the one who decided to go with Steve and not you! You wanna know why I chose Steve? Because he's protective, but he lets me make my own decisions! I get to chose what a I want to do, and maybe he doesn't like what I do, but he doesn't yell at me like you do!" You were yelling now, and has attracted the attention of a few people working at computers nearby. Before she could respond, you made your way into the glass conference room where Steve, Sam and Sharon were and sat down in one of the chairs, letting out an angry sigh.

"Why would the task force release this photo to begin with?" You ask aloud, looking at the picture Steve was looking at.

"Get the word out. Involve as many eyes as we can?" Sharon responded.

"Right. It's a good way to flush a guy out of hiding. Set off a bomb, get your picture taken. Get seven million people looking for the Winter Soldier." Steve said.

"Your saying someone framed him to find him." Sharon questioned what Steve had just said, and you shifted uncomfortably in your seat.

"Steve, we looked for the guy forever and found nothing." Sam tried to reason.

"We didn't bomb the UN, that turns a lot of heads." He points out.

"Yeah, but that doesn't guarantee that whoever framed him would get him. It guarantees that we would." Sharon's eyes shift to the screen where the doctor is questioning Bucky.

Steve frowns. "Yeah."

All of a sudden, the bunker lights go out.

"I didn't do it!" Is the first thing to come out of your mouth. Sam rolls his eyes.

In the other room, you can hear Ross. "Somebody get me eyes on Barnes."

"Sub-level five, east wing." You follow as Sam and Steve rush out the doors to go find Bucky.

You get to the door outside the chamber, and Steve stops you. "Stay out here." He goes into the room before you can respond.

Peeking through the doorway, you see the red lights flashing in the room.

You see the doctor on the floor and hear a faint "Help me."

You hear someone pick him up and slam him into the wall. "Get up." It was Steve. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"To see an empire fall." You hear a crash and start to panic. A few more noises of fighting and Steve is thrown out of the chamber. Bucky follows, and pushes Steve down the shaft. You yell, making Bucky notice you in your corner. He comes right up to you, and wraps his hand around your neck, cutting off your circulation. You kick and kick but his grip doesn't loosen.

"Bucky, it's me... (Y/n)... your daughter..." You struggle to say. His eyes don't soften, and his doesn't falter. He looks at you with emotionless eyes and your heart breaks even more. He drops you on the ground right as you black out.