Avenger Arising → Bucky Barnes [3]

18|A COLD DECEMBER

Ally watched in pure horror as the scene unfolded in front of her. Once again fear found her. It spoke to her in it's cackling voice. It told her legs to go weak, her stomach to lurch and her heart to ache. She didn't want to fear the man she had known to love, but this was agonizing.

The video continued to play, a car that the Winter Soldier forced off the road had crashed into a tree. Tony watched intently as the Winter Soldier rode up and got off his motorbike. Steve watched Tony's increasing stress. The driver of the car was Tony's father, Howard.

"Help my wife. Please. Help."

The Winter Soldier walked over and hoisted Howard up by his hair. He stared at Howard's bloody face. "Sergeant Barnes?"

Tony glared at Bucky. In the video the Winter Soldier began pounding Howard in the face with his metal fist. Howard's wife cried out. "Howard!"

In grief, Tony closed his eyes for a moment. On the screen, his father slumped dead. Tony stared in horror. Maria's, Tony's mother, was in the passenger seat with blood streaked down her face. The Winter Soldier walked around and gripped her throat. Expressionlessly, he strangled her. Tony watched the screen stunned. Another roll of footage began playing, a group of HYDRA agents sat in a room. A man in uniform began writing notes, speaking in German. People began to shout in the video, others cheered.

"Do you know what they're saying? What this conversation is about?" Zemo questioned.

Ally blinked. "This isn't real."

"Do you know what they're saying Doctor Jones?"

"I do," Tony finally spoke. "May twelfth, 1951. The night a group of rogue HYDRA agents murdered Quincy Taker and James Taker," Tony glared at Bucky. "Lead by the Winter Soldier himself."

"I didn't kill them." Bucky defended sternly.

Ally felt the tears in her eyes threatening to fall. "My son..." she whimpered so weakly it hurt everyone in the room to hear. "Why didn't you tell me it was you?"

Tony lunged for Bucky but Steve stepped in the way. "Tony."

"Did you know?" Tony dared to look him in the eye.

Steve responded breathlessly. "I didn't know it was him."

"Don't bullshit me, Rogers! Did you know?"

"Yes."

Ally looked up at Steve, unable to look at Bucky's pleading glance. "My fight isn't for you anymore, I'm done," she stepped away from the three men. "I'm done."

Tony stepped back, his chin jutting upwards. He reengaged the Iron Man helmet, punching Steve to the floor and deflected gunfire from Bucky, disarming him. He grabbed Bucky and flew across the chamber. Tony slammed him onto the floor, then jumped on his arms. Steve's shield hit Tony, distracting him quickly. Steve barged him backwards, Tony shouldered him to the floor and shackled his ankles. Bucky punched Tony who just lifted him and slammed him against a machine. Tony raised a fist but Bucky twisted it backwards.

"Get out of here!" Steve yelled at Bucky.

As Bucky began to run, Tony fired a rocket from his suit but missed.

"It wasn't him, Tony. Hydra had control of his mind!" Steve pleaded.

"Move!"

"It wasn't him!"

They continued to fight, Ally eventually joining in to. She didn't know who she was fighting for, if she agreed with Tony or Steve. If her anger towards Bucky was false because she knew it wasn't him. She deflected a hit from Tony that was meant for Steve, begging him to stop.

"This isn't gonna change what happened."

"I don't care, he killed my mom."

"The Winter Soldier was apart of the night my baby boy was murdered," Ally screamed at him. "Not Bucky."

"Move Jones," Tony seethed. "Or I'll make you."

Ally didn't budge.

"I'm sorry Ally," Tony picked the girl he had grown to respect and pushed her to the ground so hard, she couldn't see after the impact of her head hitting the ground. "I've had enough."

Tony threw Steve's shield away then zapped Steve and Ally backwards. Steve rose and Tony blocked his punches then zapped him to his knees beside Bucky was was lying on his back.

"He's my friend."

"So was I."

Tony punched Steve down. "Stay down, final warning."

Steve refused. "I can do this all day."

Tony looks horrified and glowered fearfully at Steve who panted for breath. Both have blood spattered across their faces. Steve looked back at Tony then shut his eyes and slumped down. The shield remained upright, stuck in the center of the Iron Man Suit. Steve struggled up, taking hold of the shield, gripping the edge and pulling it free. He stepped away from Tony who rolled painfully onto his side. Bucky lied bloodied but conscious, Steve reached out and pulled him to his feet, holding him up as Tony looked on.

"That shield doesn't belong to you," Tony ripped "You don't deserve it. My father made that shield!"

Steve dropped the shield, bending down to help Ally to her feet. The three of them walked away, leaving Tony in his own silent state of suffering. Ally's nose bled so viciously that as they walked away, no one could guess who got beat up the worst.

—

Ally awoke to the sound of Bucky lightly snoring beside her hospital bed. Her mouth was dry but all her injuries had been healed. She moved her arm slightly, waking him up.

"Hey," he muttered. "How're you feeling?"

Ally didn't know how she was feeling. Had she won the fight? What was the point of the fight? She couldn't remember. "Zemo?"

"Locked up," Bucky confirmed. "For good."

"How?"

"T'Challa," Bucky barely smiled. "He got to him."

"Steve?"

"He's here, just went to make a phone call to Sam."

Something inside her just snapped and when she spoke, her voice bursted through more fiercely than she intended. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I couldn't," he shook his head. "He was your son. How could you ever look at me again if you knew?"

Ally went silent for a moment. "It wasn't you."

"It was," Bucky sighed. "I just didn't know how to control it."

"I don't blame you," she whispered. "I've seen the pain you've gone through to be here. I know that the man you were in Brooklyn is gone and the man you were as the Winter Soldier has died. I'm just trying to figure out who you are now."

"You don't have to Ally, we can be done. You don't ever have to see me again."

"I've lived a hundred lifetimes, I've seen the whole world twice and I've saved it just as many," Ally explained. "I can make a new life one more time, but it has to be with you."

This caused Bucky to smile, a weak smile that meant more than what he showed. "I love you Alchemy Jones."

She nodded. "We'll figure this out, we've made it this far."