"It won't always be this way," the nice man said. "One day, I'll get us out of here. Both of us." He pushed the tray in front of you, but today you had no interest in eating; you were far too tired from the long day of experimentation and testing, so sleep was all that you wanted. "You need to eat, (Y/N). Don't let them win."

"You say 'them' like you aren't a part of it. You are one of them, aren't you?"

The man's face changed in his expression from an eagerness to help to one of sadness at your words. He was HYDRA, and he was there to ensure your compliance, but he hadn't stopped to think that you had seen him as one of the bad guys. He took it upon himself to care for you; he brought you food and water, even if he was told not too, he brought you new clothes, and snuck pillows and bedding into your cell when you weren't supposed to have either. He thought he was doing right by you, the best way that he could.

"I am in their service, yes," the man said quietly, "but I am not them. I...I still...know when a person is mistreated. And one day, I'll make good on my promise. I will free us both."

~~~

It had been almost three months since the team had come back together after being torn apart by Steve and Tony, each of them fighting for their own causes that never came to win. Despite the reunion there was always palpable tension in the tower, though it was lessening with each passing day. Steve and Tony had come to terms that they would always have disagreements and found a way to coexist, but one relationship that was seemingly likely to never work was between Tony and Bucky. It wasn't for a lack of trying; Tony gave it effort because Bucky was Steve's best friend, but with everything that happened and the stories of how Bucky played into his own past, he couldn't trust him. Bucky wanted to be a part of the team, but he was trying to find a common ground with Tony for Steve's sake, and he was at his end with what else to try, until an opportunity all but fell into his lap.

"How long did you say this would take?" Tony asked Steve, watching him throw gear into the back of the jet. "I need to report that you're both leaving in case we get called in for anything."

Steve let out a huff as he tossed a large duffle bag carelessly, "Just tell them three days. Then tell them to get off my back about it."

"Hey, we all had to make compromises here, Rogers. All of us."

"Yeah, I'm aware. Doesn't mean I have to like it."

Bucky moved towards Steve from the front of the jet, leaning in to whisper so that Tony wouldn't hear, "are you sure we shouldn't say anything to him? This is a big thing to keep as a secret, don't ya think?"

Steve glanced from Bucky to Tony, watching him as he spoke so that Stark wouldn't hear him, "not until we know if the lead is good or not. If we're wrong and we say anything now, it's only gonna make everything worse. I have Barton on standby if we need him to say anything to Tony before we get back." He turned back to his friend and gave a supporting slap to his arm, "don't worry, Buck. If this works out, the credit is all yours, I promise."

~~~

Steve and Bucky had been in the air for over an hour before they decided to get their plan ready; a plan to infiltrate a HYDRA base looking for clues and information as to where you were. On a random day, they had received an anonymous tip that a highly valuable hostage was being held somewhere; and that was all. Somewhere. Two days later they received another notice, a pile of tapes filled with grainy and unfocused images, nearly impossible to make out other than the sounds of voices overlapping each other. Finally, just yesterday, the third and final clue came to them; a gold locket holding two small pictures, one of a young girl that they assumed to be you, the other of a much younger Tony. On the back was inscribed the words, "My Loves".

"Let's see if FRIDAY was able to clean up those videos yet," Steve mumbled, grabbing his tablet and leaning in towards Bucky, both of them now anxiously watching the screen for something or someone that might lead them in the right direction. "Alright, FRIDAY, do we have anything?"

"Sir, the images were badly damaged and I could salvage almost none of it."

Bucky's face dropped and he shook his head, turning away to look out the window as the clouds passed quickly by. "No, that would be too easy," he groaned sarcastically.

"Come on, Buck, she said 'almost'. So what did you get, FRIDAY?" Steve asked anxiously, his fingers whitening as he gripped the tablet, not realizing that he was holding his breath. If this worked, and if you were who they thought you were, then things were finally about to change for the better for everyone.

"I have isolated two images, Captain," the A.I. replied, bringing up two slightly distorted but much clearer pictures of you than they had seen in any other part of the films. Steve turned the tablet to Bucky, who reluctantly turned back to take it from his hands, but nearly fell out of his chair when he finally looked.

"Steve, holy shit, I know who that is!"

"Does she have a name?"

Bucky blinked a few times as if he was clearing his vision to be sure that what he was seeing wasn't his imagination, and that you were really in the picture in front of him. He hadn't seen you in years after being separated, completely losing track of you once HYDRA discovered that he was helping you to survive. "(Y/N)," he whispered with a small crack in his deep voice, "oh, (Y/N), I can't believe it." He turned his chair harshly towards Steve, his voice now urgent and near panicked, "we have to find her, Steve. I promised her...I promised her that I would get us both out one day." He jumped up from his seat and moved to the main cabin of the jet, taking inventory of his gear and weapons, hiding most them within his uniform.

"Today has to be that day."

~~~

Once Steve and Bucky had left, Tony decided to get some much needed time in the lab, taking advantage of Bruce's absence for the weekend while at a conference on biological transmutation. As he grabbed and tossed instruments around his workstation, he smiled slightly at the thought of the doctor, most likely bored out of his mind by now and taking control of the lecture himself with information that he actually found useful.

Tony sighed loudly when he dropped a rather expensive tool on the ground, bending down to grab it with one hand holding him steady on the table. His hand accidentally grazed over a control pad, pulling up the same grainy video that Steve and Bucky had watched earlier that day.

"FRIDAY? What's this?"

"Apologies, boss. I don't believe that you were meant to see that." The screen went black quickly before he could see any more.

"Why?" Tony asked slowly, restraining himself from a much larger reaction building inside of him. "Tell me now."

After a moment of silence and Tony's growing impatience, Clint burst through the lab doors after receiving an alert from FRIDAY, hurrying to try to keep his friend calm. "Okay, so this isn't going to plan," he huffed, "but Stark, I'm gonna need you to sit down."

"Just tell me what the hell is going on, Barton. Now."

Clint looked around the room nervously, wishing that someone was there with him to do this, cursing Steve and Bucky for putting this responsibility on him. He hadn't heard from either of them since departing and had no idea if they had found you yet, or if you were even who they guessed that you were. Tony was demanding answers, and all Clint had was what he didn't know.

"Over the past few days, Steve and Bucky were sent...clues...of sorts. Things that led them to believe..." he paused, rubbing his hand over his forehead and squeezing his eyes shut, preparing for Tony's reaction, "that they found someone who looks like she's your daughter. Maybe. They think that HYDRA has her, and that's where they went; to get her and bring her here."

Stark's face was immediately pale, his eyes shifting around as if he was searching his own mind for answers and finding none. "I don't have a daughter, Barton. They're wrong."

Clint pulled out his phone and texted Steve, now waiting patiently for his reply. "Tony, you know they wouldn't chase this lead if they didn't think it was solid. But tell me," he sighed, turning the phone towards him, "who does she look like?"

Tony took the phone in his hand, gently running his finger over the image on the screen, staring at in disbelief. He took in a shaky breath and held it for a moment before slowly exhaling, feeling a slight wooziness as his body relaxed. "She looks like her mother." He dropped the phone on the table next to him and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his legs and holding his head low until the dizziness passed. "Why didn't she tell me?" he mumbled to himself, "I could have saved her."

"Stark..."

"Where are they now?"

Barton took a seat next to him and grabbed his phone, shoving it back into his pocket and putting a hand on Tony's shoulder. "They just landed. If she's there, they'll know soon."

~~~

Steve and Bucky worked in tandem, Steve moving forward through the base while Bucky watched their backs. They had been searching for nearly an hour with no signs of anyone being there. The hallways were dark and cold, with a heavy moisture in the air that coated their skin as they continued to push forward. Even though they had found no one yet, they kept their alertness at a peak, ready for any surprise that HYDRA could throw at them.

"Maybe it was a bad lead?"

"Nah, I feel like there's something here, Steve. I don't know why, but I feel like we can't give up yet."

"Is this about Tony?" Steve whispered, not turning to look at him, his weapon held ready. "He'll come around, you know. You don't have to do this."

Bucky stopped abruptly and grabbed Steve's arm, holding him back. "I couldn't care less about Stark right now," he whispered, tilting his head slightly, listening for something that he thought he might have heard in the distance. "Did you hear that?"

Steve closed his eyes and pushed the limits of his senses, concentrating on any noise that might be what Buck had heard. After a moment he shrugged the idea away and began to move forward again. "Nothing, Buck. Let's keep on."

The Captain pressed forward, not realizing that his friend stayed back and took his own direction until they had separated too far to risk calling out for each other in case they were heard. Even though he was fully exasperated now and just about ready to give up, he decided to check one final room. He raised his small flashlight from just behind his shield, illuminating the dark space, sweeping the light from corner to corner.

"Nothing," he sighed to himself, pointing to the final corner. His breath caught in his chest and he dropped his light when the reflection of two large eyes staring back at him caught him off guard. Keeping his eyes fixed, he slowly knelt down and grabbed his light, sweeping across the corner until he met his target again. Steve took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, setting his shield to the side and kneeling down cautiously with a hand extended as if he were trying to coax out a scared animal.

"(Y/N)? Is that you?"

Part 2 

After hearing what Steve and Bucky were up to from Clint, Tony didn't feel much like working and retreated to his room, not really feeling like interacting with anyone either. He had been sitting on the edge of his bed for nearly an hour, unmoving and staring at the picture on his phone, trying to see any part of himself in it. Seeing your mother in you was easy and he remembered her well, though they were together only a very short time. The longer his eyes lingered on the picture, the more unfocused they became, and eventually he had to force himself to look away.

Waiting to hear anything was torture, so even despite the warning from Barton to not interfere, he tried to call Steve only to get no reply. Tony was growing more frustrated by the minute, finally tapping his fingers harshly over the screen to convince the Captain to respond.

Steve, I know what you're doing.

Rogers, answer me.

You're really toying with a new level of pissed off, and I'm not going to be responsible for my actions if you don't reply to me.

Steve, come on. Please just give me something.

When no reply ever came and his anger had reached its peak, Tony threw the phone across his room and watched as it smashed into the wall. "FRIDAY, I need the current coordinates of the quinjet, and a flight plan loaded into the Mark 45."

~~~

Steve held his hand steady and waited for you to make any kind of move. You continued to stare at him with wide eyes that glowed under his light, but you had yet to speak.

"(Y/N), I won't hurt you, I promise. I'm here to get you to safety."

"How can you get me to safety," you said in a strained and harsh voice, "when you are the one in danger?"

The Captain pulled his hand back just slightly and sighed, "there's no one here. They've all left and you're the only one." He thrust his hand forward again, "They seem to have left you behind, (Y/N)."

"I'm here, Captain Rogers. Do not rule me out so quickly."

"You know who I am?" Steve asked, more surprised than he was at the sight of you. "How do you know my name?"

"We all know your name. They were my first words."

He now fully retracted his hand away from you, feeling that he should be more cautious with an uneasy sensation growing in his stomach. "How long have you been here, (Y/N)?"

"I'm not sure what you mean, Captain. This has always been my home."

~~~

As Tony flew through the sky, he played information from every file known on you or your mother, which were very few and very vague; he didn't even know your name, so his search was already limited and extremely frustrating. He hadn't seen your mother in over twenty years, and would never have thought that she would enter his life again in any way, much less to find out that she had given birth to his daughter and had never told him.

His frustration grew to anger with each mile closer to his destination; with each passing mile as he neared the HYDRA facility that Steve and Bucky were now searching in hopes to find you. He could understand why they didn't tell him right away, given how he was now reacting, but that wouldn't allow them forgiveness for keeping such a big secret from him.

"Boss, you're within one mile of the specified coordinates. I have a confirmation of the location of Captain Rogers and Mr. Barnes. There appears to be only one other person on the grounds with them."

Tony snapped out of his thoughts at FRIDAY's voice and looked at the screens she began to fill with information on the base below. "Is it a woman, about twenty years old?"

"Yes, sir."

He could feel his heart begin to race and pound within his chest, with a cool dampness moistening his palms and forehead as his breathing quickened. "No, not now," he groaned, "this really isn't the time for this." A slight wave of nausea washed over him just as he lowered himself to the ground, throwing the suit open so that he could get as much air into his lungs as possible and panting as he knelt down.

"Tony! Tony, are you okay?" Bucky ran to his side, but didn't come close enough to make contact. "Hey, you look pretty rough. What happened?"

Stark raised a hand to stop him and slowly brought himself back onto his feet to stand and face him. "Why, Barnes? Why are you guys doing this? And please don't deny what's going on, because I already know." He leaned his back against a nearby tree to help hold himself upright, even though his body wanted nothing more than to collapse and forget everything around him. "What are you trying to accomplish with this?"

Bucky held his position but averted his eyes to glance back at the building that Steve was still within, not aware that he had already found you. "We're trying to do the right thing here, Tony. When this information came to us, we needed..." he paused, locking his gaze with Stark, "we wanted to do this for you. To prove that you could trust us."

"You mean to prove that I could trust you."

"You can choose to believe me or not, but I just want to do the right thing, Tony. I'm not that other guy anymore."

~~~

Steve had been staring at you for several minutes before he spoke again, but his voice was much quieter now and almost sounded afraid. You didn't trust what you were hearing, however, as Captain America had always been described to you as cold, angry, and blood thirsty for anyone who was against him. It was unnerving to hear him this way, and you now wondered if it were a ploy to get you closer to him.

"Were you born here?"

"I don't think I owe you any answers about my life, Captain."

"No," he sighed, "you don't. But I would appreciate the answers to just a few questions, if you would allow me to..."

You looked at him skeptically and continued to keep your distance from him. He hadn't reached out for you again, but you resolved that if he did, you would make your move. "I was not born here, no. My mother brought me here when I was only a few months old."

"Did she ever talk about Tony Stark?"

"You mean my father? No. I know nothing of him other than the name, and I don't want to know. He abandoned us."

Steve felt his pulse quicken, knowing that what you had said wasn't true, excited to be able to tell you. "No, (Y/N), he didn't abandon you. He doesn't even know you exist. Your mother never told him."

"My mother was cold, calculating. She never told me she loved me, she never even told me she that she liked me. It's no surprise to me that she wouldn't tell him." You swung your legs forward from your crouching position and sat back against the wall, still under the harsh beam of his flashlight. "She raised me within HYDRA with only one purpose, and it would seem that my purpose is no longer necessary. If they have all left, then they're not returning, and as irony would have it, I'm being rescued by the man I was raised to kill."

"Come with me," Steve pressed, despite the revelation of who you were, "let us help you to find your own life. Let me introduce you to your dad."

You opened your mouth to speak but recoiled at a loud bang from the door behind Steve. A man with dark hair and a metal arm approached and spoke to Steve in words too quiet for you to hear. When Steve turned his attention back to you, he shone the light over you again so that the other man could see.

"Buck, it's her."

Bucky leaned down and studied your face, making sure that you matched who he had seen in the picture and in his own mind; making sure that if he was going to bring you out to Tony, he had to be right.

"(Y/N), I've come for you, just as I always promised."

Part 3

You didn't know his name; you never did, really. He was always just the man who brought you things and was nice to you. He had come to see you every day until one day they sent him away and you never saw him again. But now, here he was in front of you, next to him.

"The last time I saw you, they sent you to end Steve Rogers, and now you stand with him? I don't understand."

"They're wrong, (Y/N)," he pushed forward to stand in front of Steve, "they're so wrong. If I would have known sooner..." he faded, his gaze dropping to the floor in shame. "If I would have known sooner, you would have been free a long time ago. I'm so sorry, but please, come with us now." He held his hand out to you as Steve had done moments ago, but you were still reluctant to take it.

Steve took a few steps to even his stance with Bucky's and looked at you quizzically, "(Y/N), you said that my name was your first words, but I hadn't even been found yet and HYDRA thought I was dead. Why would my name be so important?"

"Captain, please don't tell me that you are so naïve as to not think this has all been some sort of plan. That this is right where we are supposed to be. That you weren't lost, but perhaps preserved in that ice. That you weren't 'found', but 'extracted' when the time was right." For the first time you took a few steps forward closer to them, and you could see in their eyes that now they were the ones hesitating. "He even told you, Steve."

"Who?" he whispered.

"The new HYDRA grew, a beautiful parasite inside SHIELD," you replied with a smile, "I know that's setting off bells in your head, isn't it? If I'm here completely alone, where did those clues come from to bring you here? Who sent them, Captain?"

"How do you know that?" he mumbled under his breath. Steve shuffled slightly and sucked in a harsh breath, now looking around anxiously. "Buck, I think we should get outside."

"I'm not leaving without you, (Y/N)," Bucky said as he leapt forward to grab your arm and pull you from your room. "I don't care what they did to you, we're going to fix it."

"I'm not broken," you hissed, pulling your arm away, "but you've clearly lost sight of what you are."

The man who once tried to protect you and had helped you survive your worst days turned dark in his eyes and his jaw set firmly. A definite shift in his posture reminded you of the old version of him, and your body responded with fear. "(Y/N)," he growled, "you are coming with us. This is not a matter for discussion." He hurried to stand behind you and wrapped his arm around your neck, squeezing just enough to cut off your air.

"Buck! What are you doing?!"

You reached up to try to slap his arm away, but his metal one quickly reached around and grabbed your hand, twisting your arm back painfully and securely. He held his position until he felt your muscles begin to weaken and you lost your fight. When your legs finally gave way, he released his hold and swung his arms beneath you to carry you outside.

"I'm improvising."

~~~

Once they had secured you inside the jet, Steve and Bucky stayed in the cockpit so that Tony could have time alone. Steve would look back over his shoulder every few minutes, concerned about what was going through his teammate's mind and how he was going to react, because he had so far been completely silent for the journey back to the tower. He had been staring at you for nearly an hour, but you had yet to make any eye contact with him since you had woken up.

"I didn't like your improvisation," Steve whispered, "it was a little extreme."

"I know," he nodded, looking down at his hands and seeing them as if they weren't even his. "Something snapped. It was like I was watching myself do it but I couldn't stop." He sighed and closed his eyes, softly thumping his head against the chair, "that's not me anymore."

"I know, Buck. We all do."

"All of you?" he huffed quietly, turning to look at Tony, "I'm not so sure."

"FRIDAY, take over." Steve released the controls and turned his chair to face Bucky, leaning back so that he could see the whole of the jet. "You're the one who got her out, Buck. He knows that."

"I feel bad for him, though. After everything that happened, I never would have thought that I could have sympathy for that guy, but I do." Bucky turned now to watch Tony too, and Steve thought for just a moment that he could see moisture pooling in his eyes. "I can't imagine what he's going through, ya know? He didn't even know that she existed, and when we find her, she's...she's fucking brainwashed," he spat out, "she's a mindless puppet to those people."

"Hey, come on, we got you back, didn't we?"

Bucky turned his chair around and leaned in towards Steve, signaling him to lean in closer so he could stay quiet. "Yeah, but it's not the same. I knew who I was before all of that happened. I had other memories, I had my principles, and I had you to help me. But Steve," he sighed, "this is all she's ever known. There's nothing to go back to. This is who she's always been."

Steve cleared his throat when he saw Tony stand from his peripheral vision, leaning back from the conversation to give him his attention. "Stark, how are you holding up?"

He nodded slightly with a sad smile and set a shaky hand on Bucky's shoulder with a faint squeeze. "Thanks, guys. I'm glad you did what you did, Barnes, really," he whispered before turning back to sit next to you for the rest of the flight.

The two men looked at each other in surprise and a hint of confusion. Steve tuned back to watch the rest of the flight and Bucky stood to sit across from Tony on the other side of your cot. He sat silently and studied your face for several minutes, trying to remember what you were like years ago, trying desperately to remember if there was any happiness inside of you or if HYDRA had stolen that from you as well. If they were going to try to undo the years of destruction in your mind, he needed to find something to grab ahold of.

"Did I hurt you?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Will you talk to me?" he asked, feeling a little hopeful that you were at least acknowledging him. He glanced up at Tony who was watching intently. "Will you talk to your dad?"

You turned your head to finally look at Tony, and the pain in his eyes was striking; your reaction was visceral and unexpected. You took a breath in but it caught in your chest and your throat felt tight, your eyes stung with tears before they flowed freely down your cheeks to spill onto the floor at Tony's feet. The sobs became stronger and your chest heaved as you tried to breathe, but your arms were still restrained to the table and you couldn't move; it felt like you were being suffocated.

"Hold on, honey," Tony jumped up, ripping the restraint away with the hand still covered in the suit's gauntlet, watching as Bucky ripped away the other with his own metal hand. You sat up quickly and gripped the edge of the table, struggling to catch any rhythm in your breathing. The room began to spin slightly but Bucky was now holding you steady from behind to keep you from falling.

"Hey, hey, look at me, (Y/N)," Steve said softly, suddenly kneeling in front of you, his hands resting over yours. "Just keep your eyes on mine, okay?"

You nodded frantically, willing yourself to stay in the moment and follow his direction.

"You're okay, you're safe. I'm not going to let anything happen to you, okay? None of us are." He gently pulled your hands away from the table, noticing that your fingers were turning white from the force you were putting on them. "I want you to watch and listen to my breathing, and do the same. Don't think about anything else."

It was a struggle to keep your mind from the crushing weight in your chest and away from the thoughts that raced so fast that you couldn't even follow them, but you didn't want to let the Captain down somehow. You forced yourself to keep eye contact with him, though it was unnatural and uncomfortable, and it felt like he was trying to look into you. Following the sounds of his breathing and now noticing that his thumbs were caressing the tops of your hands, you began to calm.

"What the hell was that?" Bucky whispered with some relief, loosening his grip.

Tony took a step forward to stand next to Steve, who was still kneeling and his eyes were still on yours. "I'm sorry, (Y/N). I'm so sorry. Of all the things that I could've given you, I give you that."

"That's never happened before...wow, I'm so...I'm so dizzy," you mumbled, squeezing your eyes shut and pressing the heels of your palms against your eyes. "I don't feel so good...Steve..." you faded away as you tipped forward, reaching out for him and connecting when he stood to catch you.

"Lay down, (Y/N), I've got you."

"Seriously, what the hell was that?" Bucky asked again, looking cautiously at Tony.

"FRIDAY, tell Banner to get the lab ready," Tony called out, exchanging nervous glances with the other two, giving Steve a small pat on the shoulder. "Thanks, Steve. You did good."

Steve let go of your hand and began to return to the cockpit to bring the plane into the hangar, but you grabbed his arm weakly before he could go, stopping him from leaving your side. He looked to Bucky and then Tony, shocked that of the three of them, you wanted him to stay; the man you were created to kill. Tony readily stepped out of his suit and took the pilot seat in his place.

"I've got it, Cap, you just keep her calm. I'm going to help Banner figure out what those bastards did to her before I decide just how to destroy each and every one of them."

~~~

Steve wasn't sure why you were reluctant to let him go, but he had stayed with you for hours as Tony and Bruce took endless tubes of blood and ran a multitude of tests. Bucky was standing near the door, talking with the rest of the team to get them up to speed on everything that had happened when Sam broke from the crowd and stood next to Steve, reaching out his hand to you.

"Hey, (Y/N), I'm Sam."

"Hi, Sam," you replied quietly, shaking his hand. "Falcon, isn't it?"

Steve looked up cautiously at him without moving his head, hoping to not be obvious about his surprise; apparently you had been told more than they realized.

"Yeah, that's right. I thought maybe I would be the ambassador from the anti-social gang over there. I mean, you always want to send in the good looking one, right? Make a good impression?"

You glanced over at the rest of the team and smirked as you looked back at him, "then why didn't they send that other guy in the cape?"

"Oh! That's how it is?" he laughed, stepping back to appreciate your reply with a nod and a wide smile.

"That's how it is."

The small moment was disrupted when Bruce and Tony arrived at your bedside, not looking happy about their results; the doctor held up his tablet and sent the information to the displays over your head. "(Y/N), we know what happened to you on the flight back," he paused turning to Bucky, "and also to you at the base."

Bucky raised his eyebrows in surprise, pointing at himself, "what happened to me?"

"You were pretty aggressive, Buck, you even said so yourself," Steve added.

Bruce thoughtfully removed his glasses and flipped them around in his hand as he spoke, "(Y/N), each of your adrenal hormone levels are dangerously high, but with each sample we take, the level is lower. Over time it should normalize, but I think that's what caused your rage, and when they started to suddenly drop, your body panicked. I believe that if we were to take a sample from you, Bucky, we would find your levels slightly elevated too."

"We think they were pumping something into the air to keep you in an angry state, then fed you all that brainwashing crap about Captain America to get you riled up. That's why it affected you too, Barnes," Tony agreed.

"That bitch," you mumbled to yourself, but catching everyone's attention. "I was scared of needles when I was little, so she told me that the medicine I needed was in an inhaler that she gave me everyday. I bet that's what it was. I was the angriest kid you could imagine." You glanced up at Steve but quickly back to your hands, "I was ready to kill you at the age of seven."

"Wait, who did?" Tony asked, anxiously moving closer to you, terrified that he knew the answer. "Who gave it to you?"

"My mother."

Part 4

In the weeks to come, you and Steve had become inseparable, and Tony was clearly uncomfortable with it. You had spent your days working with them and Bucky to find leads on who had sent them the information on you, though you were coming up with nothing. Days of work had become longer and longer, and it had finally reached a point that filled the hours with nothing but frustration.

"Okay, you know what? I think we all need to take a step back and reset," Tony sighed, rubbing the fatigue from his eyes. "I feel like we're just talking in circles now."

"I'm sorry, you guys, I'm really trying," you said with a yawn, leaning back in your chair to stretch your tired and aching muscles. Steve stood from his chair next to you and moved to gently rub your shoulders. You closed your eyes and let the sensation take over, and you felt your body relax almost immediately. "Although, if this is the reward I get for trying, I'm ready to keep going," you mumbled quietly.

Bucky stood as well, walking past Steve with a firm slap to his arm, "I think we should all be rewarded in that case," he laughed. "Why the special treatment for (Y/N), hmm, Steve?"

"I think you know damn well why," Tony huffed, throwing his tablet down on his workstation and storming through the door without any further explanation. The three of you exchanged confused glances before you shrugged Steve's hands away and stood to follow after him.

"I think it's that time," you said, "I've been putting off this conversation for too long."

~~~

When you reached the doors and looked in each direction down the long corridors, there was no sight of Tony. You hadn't become too familiar with the tower yet, other than how to get to common places like the kitchen and lab, and back to your own room. You wanted to have this conversation on your own, and if you asked Steve to help you find him, you knew that he would want to stay.

"Um, FRIDAY?"

"Yes, Miss (Y/N)? How can I help you?"

"This is so weird," you mumbled to yourself. "Hi, um, yeah, could you maybe please help me find Mr. Stark?"

After only a few seconds, the reply came, but how she spoke sent an odd sensation through you. "(Y/N), your father is in the library."

Your father.

He wasn't really your father yet, at least not in your mind or in your heart. He was Tony. He was the man that you knew of only through your mother, who spoke of him as if he were the worst enemy to you beyond even what you were told of Steve. Seeing how blatant of a lie that was, you knew that Tony would be nothing of what you had expected when you arrived, and it was time to change your point of view.

The library was dark when you entered; so much so that you thought maybe FRIDAY had been wrong. "Tony?"

"I'm here," he said quietly from a corner at the back of the room. "I see you've learned how to talk to FRIDAY?"

"It's a little strange still, but yeah."

A light came on, making you squint slightly at the change, but it was quickly apparent to you that Tony was not himself. His eyes were red when he looked at you and his expression was incredibly sad. It reminded you of that day on the jet when you saw a similar look that shook you to your core. You couldn't bear it that you were the cause of it.

"Tony, I need to talk to you," your words spilled out quickly as you took a seat next to him. "Listen, I had no idea who you really were. She fed me information that made you sound...well, you sounded terrible, and you were supposed to be my next target after Steve."

His head snapped towards you at the revelation, not realizing that they were so evil as to send his own daughter to kill him. He knew that HYDRA was evil, sure, but this was beyond anything that he thought they could do.

"I'm so sorry that I didn't know," he whispered. "If she would have told me..."

"It's not your fault, Tony. I don't hold any blame towards you."

He nodded his head silently and leaned forward on the small table in front of him, clasping his hands together tightly. He didn't say any more, and the silence filled the room with a heavy burden. You had so many questions, and you were sure he did too, but you were both too scared to ask.

"Tell me about her."

"Are you serious?" he chuckled, but there was no humor in it. "You probably know more than I do."

"Well, I know her only as a cold woman, who treated me like a lab rat. I can't imagine you would have found that at all attractive, so there must have been more to her."

"She was beautiful, obviously," he paused, waving his hand in your direction with a sweet smile, "that's not a question. But she was smart. Damn, was she smart. She rivaled even me, and I'm not saying that with conceit, I swear. I was just so impressed with her mind."

"She was the best bio organic chemist in the world. It shouldn't come as a surprise that HYDRA recruited her, I suppose." You leaned back in your chair and swiveled it slightly as your mind ran through your own history, trying to remember anything remotely good about your own mother and finding nothing. "But what would make her turn her own child into a weapon?"

"Me," he scoffed. "I'll take the blame on that one, kiddo." Tony opened his mouth to continue, but was interrupted when Bruce burst through the library doors.

"(Y/N), I need to talk to you right away," he panted as he dropped into the chair next to you. "You said that you never knew your mother's name, right?"

"I only ever knew her as 'mother'. I was never told her real name."

"Do you have a picture of her?"

Tony sat up, fully interested now and a bit nervous at Bruce's urgency. "I might have one," he replied, pulling out his phone. After a few minutes of searching and the doctor staring at him intently, he finally handed it to Bruce with what he wanted displayed brightly on the screen.

"Son of a bitch," Bruce mumbled, dropping the phone on the table and resting his head in his hands. "This isn't happening."

You exchanged worried looks with Tony and put your hand on Bruce's shoulder, hoping to calm him down. "Bruce, what isn't happening? You're freaking me out."

He dropped his tablet in front of Tony, waiting for the realization to hit him. When you glanced at it, all you could see were numbers and mixed up letters in lab results that you had no chance in understanding. Tony's response came quickly, with his face reaching a frightening paleness.

"Tony, tell me what's going on." When he didn't reply, you called out to him again, but he still held back. Finally, you used the last trick that you could think of to get him to snap out of it.

"Dad!"

Both men snapped their heads to look at you, but Tony remained silent. "Bruce, dammit, tell me what's going on!" you insisted.

"(Y/N)," he sighed, "I knew your mother. I knew her very well."

"Okay?" you prodded, growing ever more anxious by the minute and more and more frustrated.

"Because she's my sister. And I know exactly where she is."

~~~

"Wait, you're leaving right now?" Steve asked as you were hastily packing a few items for the lengthy jet ride to your mother's location. "This is dangerous, (Y/N), I can't let you go without me."

"Steve, come on. You're clearly forgetting who you're talking to here."

"No, I'm not," he argued, grabbing your arm to stop you from continuing, "I'm not forgetting. Yes, you are more than capable to handle yourself in any situation, other than this. This is your own mother, (Y/N)."

You pulled your arm away harshly and continued to pack, now purposefully avoiding looking at him. "She's my mother only by genetics. I have no feelings for her other than contempt. What she did to me is bad enough, but what she did to Tony, and to Bruce? Inexcusable."

"What are you going to do?"

Avoiding his question, you grabbed your bag and pulled it up over your shoulder as you made your way to the door. He reached out for your arm and spun you towards him, and you could see that he was growing angry with you. "(Y/N), tell me what you're going to do."

"I'm going to kill her."

"You say that like you're reading from your 'to-do' list for the day. Like it doesn't bother you."

"Steve, if you're waiting for some big emotional response, then you're going to be waiting for a very long time. It takes a lot more than this to rile me up." You tried to pull your arm away again, but his grip tightened, pushing you back against the door to press himself against you, his lips firmly pressing to yours. "Yeah, something like that," you sighed against his lips, reaching up to grip the back of his neck for more.

He laughed under his breath and released you, smiling like he had just gotten away with something that he shouldn't have done. "That was the first time that we've done that."

"Yes, it was. But you're still not coming with me." You raised your hands to his chest and pushed him away gently, enough to allow you to open the door to a waiting Tony and Bruce. You knew that Tony wasn't happy about your new relationship with his teammate, but you weren't about to let that interfere with the first good thing that you had for yourself in your entire life. You turned back one more time for a final kiss, knowing that both your father and your uncle were watching.

"I'm so glad that I didn't kill you, Steve."

Part 5

When you reached the jet with Tony and Bruce, you threw your bag casually under your seat and began to fasten your safety harness, but the conversation at the pilot seat caught your attention immediately; or rather, the voices that were carrying it.

"She's not going in there alone. I won't allow it, Stark."

"But if we go in there too, she'll run. We can only do this once," Bruce whispered, trying to block your view of the group when he saw that they had caught your attention. "I don't like it either, but I don't see another way."

"Sorry, Barnes, she has to take the lead," Tony agreed.

Just as you reached a spot behind the doctor, Bucky spun his chair forward to look out the jet window, dropping his voice low so that you struggled to hear it. "Then I'll go in as her boyfriend. 'Meet the mom' sort of thing."

"Then you're the one who has to tell Cap that you're making the moves on her," Tony huffed, but his expression turned immediately serious at the sight of you. "Hey, sweetheart, we were just talking over the plan. Barnes here thinks that one of us needs to go in with you, but we think that makes it even more dangerous than it already is. What do you think?"

"I think I'd like to know why Bucky is here in the first place. I thought we talked about this. You need to stop trying to protect me."

Bucky stood up at the insinuation you were making, that he didn't trust you to take care of yourself. He hadn't had a chance to protect you in years, and he felt the need to make up for lost time now that he could. "(Y/N), you need someone with you. What kind of reaction will you have when you see her? One wrong move or say the wrong thing, and she could kill you before you get your shot at her. You know that she's gonna be prepared for anything."

"That's why I'll be there."

You spun on your heel at the added sound of Steve's voice, dropping his shield on the seat next to yours before casually taking his place and strapping in as if nothing were out of the ordinary. "So are we gonna go, or what?"

Your vision hazed slightly, feeling your blood pressure rising and the heat spreading across your face as your anger grew. This had been planned out, agreed on, and was about to finally take shape to end your HYDRA brainwashed mother once and for all, but these four suddenly took it upon themselves to throw that all out and start over. Without so much as asking you.

"Well this is just great. This is fan-fucking-tastic," you growled, stomping over to your pack and opening it roughly. "It's nice to know that there's such a trusting environment here, you know? Reminiscent of my old caged animal days. They didn't even trust me to eat by myself." You continued to look through your belongings, refusing to make eye contact with any of them. "So which one of you wants to chew my food for me like I'm some helpless infant?" Giving your bag a quick shake, you weren't finding what you pretended to be looking for. "I'll be right back," you said with an angry stare to each of them, "unless you boys want to follow me to be sure I don't get lost or fall down or need a quick diaper change?"

When no one replied, you exited the jet, hurrying across the hangar and into the hallway, well out of their earshot. "FRIDAY, is there another jet here?"

"No, Miss, but Mr. Stark has a private jet at Stark HQ."

"Great," you said quietly, looking back over your shoulder, "get it ready and keep your mouth shut."

"Yes, miss."

You ran down the stairs to the garage, throwing the door open to see an array of expensive cars, but none of them were what you were looking for. They were too big, too flashy, too obvious. "FRIDAY, one more thing. Could you open the cage please?"

The lock on Steve's private parking area opened and the door slowly swung open, revealing his motorcycle without anything to stop you from taking it. Your hand slowly grazed over the cool metal and leather seat, bringing you to pause for just a moment to reconsider, but you continued. With a few quick motions, you had hotwired it and were speeding away from the tower, towards the mission that you felt you had to do on your own.

~~~

Your nerves hadn't been a problem on the flight and until now, when you were walking up to her door, surveying the dark brick and black trim that made the house look cold and emotionless. It was the perfect representation of the woman you remembered, but you were pleased with yourself that you didn't feel anything when you thought of her. This should be easy.

Slowly and purposefully you took the steps to her door one at a time, looking at your feet as if you were concentrating on how to move them. With every foot closer, your mission weighed on you more, until it felt like you were carrying the world on your back. But in theory, you were. She had the power to make the world a terrifying place, and you had the power to stop her. Reluctantly resting your closed fist on the smooth wooden door, you took one more deep breath and then began to knock.

No going back now.

There was a small creak in the hinges when the door began to open, the sound grating on your nerves like fingernails on a chalkboard. You swore that you felt a chill spill out from the house as she came into view, but you quickly convinced yourself that you were being dramatic with your vivid imagination.

Her face was emotionless towards you, despite having not seen you in years. It wasn't a surprise to see this, though you expected at least a hint of shock in her that you knew where she was. Now that you knew more of your lineage, you could see the resemblance to Bruce in her.

"Hello, mother."

"Hello, (Y/N). What do you want?"

With a cool smile that didn't reach your eyes, you pulled out a bag from behind your back and held it towards her, "lunch? I thought maybe it was time that we did some catching up." Her eyes wandered over you cautiously and skeptically, but you stood steady. "I'm not armed, mother, I promise. And I'm alone."

~~~

"What the hell do you mean, I let her go? We were all right here!"

"Yeah, but you're her father. You have the first responsibility," Steve barked, slamming his fingers against the computer as he tried to find you. "I would have at least expected you to step in, Bruce."

"Okay, hold on just a damn minute," Tony snapped, "you're her boyfriend...or whatever...so why didn't you step up?"

"Guys..." Bucky said, trying to break into the brewing argument.

"Yes, I am her boyfriend," Steve snapped back in the same tone, turning away from his work to glare at Tony, "I'm glad to hear that you've finally accepted that."

"Oh, I'm nowhere near accepting it, old man. Did you ever stop to think that maybe you should check with me before shoving your tongue down my daughter's throat?"

"See, this is exactly what I mean," the Captain hissed, slamming his fist on the table, "when it's about you, then you pay attention. Then you care about what's going on. Maybe if you would focus on someone other than yourself for a change, she would still be here, or we would be there with her."

Tony's hands began to raise up but Bucky was fast to step in between him and Steve, with Bruce cautiously on the sidelines. "That's enough," he commanded. "You know I'm all for punching you in the face, Stark, but this is gonna have to wait." Bucky heard Steve snicker behind him and turned to face him next, "laugh it up, punk. I'll sock you in the jaw just as fast. Don't you think that you two have done enough fighting for a lifetime? Do you really want to go down that path again?"

Steve looked over Bucky's shoulder at Tony, still glaring, but finally beginning to soften his expression when he realized that his friend was right. Tony's expression began to mirror his, and when Bucky finally felt safe to do so, he stepped to their side. "Now, we already knew where she was going, and now I know how she got there."

"You mean she's already there? This could already be over and we haven't even left yet," Bruce groaned to himself, pulling off his glasses and rubbing his eyes. "One of them is dead."

"Hey," Tony said quietly, moving to Bruce to set a supportive hand on his shoulder, "it's not (Y/N), okay?"

"But then it's my sister. Oh, I don't know how to do this..."

"None of us do, Bruce." Tony gave him a small squeeze before releasing him to turn back to Bucky, "alright, so how did she get there so fast?"

Bucky turned the tablet around in his hand to display his findings to the group, "she commandeered daddy's private jet."

Tony's face immediately reddened and his jaw set tightly. Squeezing his eyes shut in a building rage, he clenched his fists and did his best to hold back, but quickly failed. He thrust his left hand into the wall, leaving a sizeable dent when he pulled back.

"Dammit, FRIDAY!! That's not what I meant when I told you to help her with whatever she needed!"

~~~

You slowly filled the two plates in front of you, feeling her eyes on you as you worked and wondering what was going through her mind, though you had some ideas. "It's not poisoned, if that's what you're thinking."

"I wasn't," she replied flatly.

"Look," you paused, taking a bite from her plate and turning to her with a smile, "not dying." Handing her the plate, you nodded towards the dining room, following her to the table, only to take seats at the farthest ends away from each other. "So, no longer with HYDRA?"

She stared at you blankly, refusing to answer the question.

"Well? What kind of small talk is there? Hey, mom, kill anyone interesting lately?"

"What do you want, (Y/N)?" she said again, still watching your every move. "How did you know where I was?"

"Eat before it gets cold," you mumbled, "I paid too much for this to go to waste." You put a forkful into your mouth, looking at her as if to make a point that you still weren't being poisoned. A small but dark smile crossed your lips as you watched her begin to eat. After a sufficient number of bites, you spoke again, "so tell me, mother, what on earth could be so desirable to you that you would sell Tony Stark's only child to HYDRA?"

She choked slightly as she swallowed, but barely enough to notice, still maintaining her cool demeanor. "I didn't want you."

"Yeah, I'm smart enough to figure that out, believe it or not. But here's a surprise; Tony did."

"So you've talked to him."

"Oh shoot, I almost forgot!" you chuckled sarcastically, "Uncle Bruce says 'hi' too!"

She sat up straighter in her chair and cleared her throat a few more times, now looking uncomfortable, with her resolve to distance her emotions failing her. "(Y/N)..."

You pushed your plate away and leaned back in your chair, clasping your hands together on your lap. "I'm just gonna stop you right there, mother," you stopped, glancing out the window to see four angry Avengers approaching the house, "I'm guessing that you have about two minutes for any last words. I can write them down if you have anything inspiring that you want to leave behind."

Her coughing became more pronounced, and her breathing became irregular. She jumped up from her seat to lunge at you, but you were faster and leapt back towards the door, opening it for the men to enter. Her breaths faltered and she fell to the ground near you with her fingers grazing your foot, looking at you with shock. "How..."

You kicked her hand away and knelt next to her, grabbing her chin to lift her to look at you. "You're not the only biochem genius in the family, mother." She continued to look at you with surprise, but now slightly confused, her skin beginning to take on a pale pallor. "Oh, no! Not me," you laughed, feeling Bruce take his place behind you and resting his hand on your shoulder.

"I tried to make this as humane as possible for you," he said coldly, "not that you deserve it."

"Damn, Banner has a dark side," Bucky whispered to Steve and Tony.

"I told you, I don't trust a man without one," Tony replied, though his gaze was frozen on the woman taking her last breath on the floor in front of you. "(Y/N), you okay?"

Slowly standing, you felt a little tremor in your legs, but Bruce quickly pulled you into an embrace that held you steady. "Can we go home now?" you asked him quietly, smiling to yourself at the feeling of Bucky's hands joining him to support you. Tony was next to move in, pulling you away from the pair and into his arms.

"Anything you want, sweetheart." He held you for a few minutes, finally sighing deeply and resolving himself to what he had just said; he would give you anything you wanted. He pushed back from you and took your hand, lifting it and handing it to Steve. Before he fully released you, he leaned in close to Steve's ear and whispered a warning.

"I have twenty years of overprotective fathering to catch up on, and you've just become the boyfriend that daddy can't stand."