Remembrance//Book 1//CATWS and AOU

12. "First" Loves

"There's no sign of them on the roof," Steve announces as he rounds up with Aspen and Sam.

Aspen shakes off the cobweb on her nose, scrutinizing it as she flicks it away. "The call directed us here, seems like a reasonable place to be."

"Its ancient," Sam comments. "So what now? With Karin's voodoo thing, she probably knows we're here already. Or they left after the distress call."

Steve pushes aside the thought.

"Karin can negotiate," he responds and clashes his shield with the lock of the door. "She knows me, I think Bucky is the weak link here."

"No kidding," aspen agrees, "she also knows he's your only weak link too."

Turning his face to glance at the elfish Aspen, he can't help but think she's wrong. "Not the only, Pen, but he's one of them."

So, maybe there was a little thing going on between Aspen and Steve. He won't admit, and she doesn't seem to care enough about a relationship. Steve is also a little busy right now as well. With Bucky and Karin magically popping up out of nowhere, he was a little busy. But that didn't mean Steve wasn't capable of starting a relationship.

But it's only been a few or more months since they've met. Steve got the feeling that Riley, Sam's best friend, was also Aspen's once-lover. Steve didn't want to intrude on anything personal, not unless she began.

"There's movement on the north corridor, third floor. They're flinging everything around in there, Cap. Looks like they know we're here."

Sam's statement urged Steve to start running down the halls and stairs. "What room number?" Steve asks.

"Sam says its on the third floor, maybe the central halls? Where they could feel secure and have a good window to escape..." Aspen, from the corner of her eye, sees a movement.

Twisting around, she sees the two ex-assassins heading out of a window. Karin tries to help Bucky, gently pressing her hands on his metal arm.

"I have visual, they're exiting the building, Cap," Aspen reports. She starts up the fire jets and catches the attention of the two. "I'm confronting them."

The jets fire out and she shoot ups from the ground, making her way to Karin.

Already, Karin felt threatened by Aspen. She wasn't sure if it was the fire coming out the jets, or maybe the fact that Aspen was acting like this because Karin screwed with her head.

"C'mon," Aspen heaves as she lands on the ladder across from them, "Think about it, Karin, wouldn't you want him to have his memories back?"

Defensively stepping in front of Bucky, Karin shakes her head. "He doesn't need help, they have to come naturally. Whether he or I like it or not."

Aspens expression darkens. "I know what you did at that bank," she calmly announces. "You can't run from that. You have to face charges."

Karin steps back, along with a Bucky. Her entire body went tense, thinking about the kill of Pierce's daughter. But, could this be a trick? Is Aspen talking about stealing money?

"We need to survive," Karin answers and holds onto the ends of the fabric of Bucky's shirt.

He looks over at her, clear panic emphasizes in the blue of his eyes.