Steve decided to skip his run that morning, the sun was already up and he deemed it not worth his time. He really didn't feel like doing anything. He let Sam go on their run without him, he even didn't feel like watching a documentary with Peter. These swings had gotten better with time but they still came every now and again. But they were worse every time.

In his room he took out a book that contained almost all of his past. Natasha had helped him gather old pictures, newspaper articles and anything else they could find from his childhood through when his plane crashed into the ocean. He took the leather bound book out from its hiding spot in his closet. Sitting down on the bed, he opened the book.

The first image that greeted him was a side profile view of Agent Carter. He let out a sad laugh as he gently picked up the photo. It was taken at the base where he started his training. He could practically hear her shouting through the image. Oh how he had admired her, how she fearlessly carried on in a position where she was not treated fairly. But above all she had believed in him when no one else had. When he heard of the 107th's capture, she provided him with a plane to rescue them. Even before the serum, she never doubted him. She trusted him, he should have given her his coordinates, and maybe he wouldn't have spent 70 years in the ice. 70 years later and he still owed her a dance. A dance they would never have.

With a sad smile and a sting in his heart, he put the image on the bed next to him. The next photograph, was a black and white photograph of him and his best friend before he left for the war, Bucky towered over his small frame back then. Steve felt a pang in his heart. They were so innocent back then. So happy, the world had not hurt them yet. Steve so wished that he could go back and change it, save those happy boys from the heartache they would face. But he couldn't. And even if he could, he wouldn't. Some people just have tragedy in their blood, was what Natasha said when he brought this up to her when he first got out of the ice, all those years go. He laughed at the memory because after that she basically told him to suck it up and stop crying and move on with the times, he was pretty sure she had called him an old man too but he couldn't remember.

The next picture was of the two of them again but this time it was after he had rescued the 107th. Steve now stood taller than his friend, they were laughing at something when the photo taken. Their laughter forever frozen in this moment in his hands. As Steve looked at the picture, he squinted at it and his stomach dropped. Was that? Yes it was. There was bruising scattered from Bucky's temple to his jaw. How has he not noticed that? How had he not seen that his friend had been tortured and beaten? He had just been so happy to have his friend back that he didn't even consider what he had been through. He was just happy to see him, even though it didn't last long before that fateful day on the train.

He couldn't do it any more. The ache was too great. All he had lost and all he would never have it weighed on him, like he was Atlas, trying to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. Despite everyone telling him this weight didn't belong to him, he felt like it did, like he deserved all the pain he felt. He knew he should talk to Sam about this but he could never bring himself to do it.

He set the leather bound book down next to him and rested his head in his hands, rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands. He stayed like that, trying to control his breathing and steady his heart rate when his door slammed open,

"Come on, man! Let's go! Something happened while they were out" Sam shouted from his position in the doorway.

Steve hardly lifted his head, he merely sent his friend a confused look, not able to actually form any words.

"Bucky, Nat and Rina. There were gunshots" he explained as simply as he could

At those words, Steve jumped off the bed and ran past Sam. His feet pounded against the hardwood floor as he made his way to the garage.

As he opened the door, Natasha was speeding into the garage, having to stop abruptly from how fast she was going. Steve knew that if she was driving, something must have gone terribly wrong. Put he saw Bucky in the passenger seat, so his dread lessened slightly.

Natasha jumped out of the car, rushing to the backseat where she opened the door. Steve could see Rina but something looked off. She was as pale as a sheet and she was staring blankly ahead, to be honest it looked like she had seen a ghost.

"Rina" she started, not wanting to startle the girl, "it's alright. We are back home"

The girl slowly turned her head to look at the red head and the dark haired man next to her,

"Home?" Rina croaked out, the word sounded forced

James leaned forward so he could get a better look at her,

"Yeah, Rina. You are safe. No one can hurt you in here" he said softly as he could.

He and Natasha hadn't gotten a good look at the man who had fired at them. He and Rina had seen the man pull out the gun while Nat had her back turned, he thankfully had pulled them all out of harms way before the man ran off.

The girl frantically searched both people standing in front of her, looking for any injuries like she had just woken from her trance,

"Ok?" She asked through her heavy breathing

"Yes, we are fine" they assured her as she slowly climbed out of the car.

"Good, good" she said, still breathing heavily and not meeting anyone's eyes.

She let them lead her inside to the living room where she sat on the couch. All of the Avengers have gathered in the living room as soon as Sam got the call from Nat about what had happened.

They all looked worried, Wanda moved forward, like she was about to ask for further explanation when Natasha sent a look at her and everyone else in the room. They all knew that look well. That look meant "get out now". So that is what they all did, one by one they left Rina alone with the two adults.

Natasha kneeled on the ground next to the couch at Rina's feet, so that they were at eye level with each other while Bucky merely stood behind her.

"Rina" she started placing a hand gently on the girl's knee to gain her attention as she was staring blankly at the wall in front of her,

"Rina, talk to me. Who did you see?"

The girl's bottom lip trembled slightly but she didn't say anything, her eyes still glued to wall, it was like she was paralyzed in fear.

Nat sighed, looking to Bucky for help since she wasn't getting anywhere. She got up and he took her place, kneeling at the girl's feet in order to look her in the eye,

"Hey Katie" He said softly, he was the only one who called her that,

"Look at me please, we just want to help you" he said, voice straining slightly from emotion.

Something seemed to snap in Ekaterina, she slowly turned her head looking first at the man in front of her and then at Natasha who was standing behind him, a hand on his shoulder.

"I know" she said barely above a whisper before casting her eyes to the ground, unable to meet their eyes any longer.

"Then we need to know, who was that man?" He asked gently,

"Neither of us got a good look at him but you seemed to know him. Do you? Did you know him in the Red Room?" He continued, trying to meet the eyes of the girl.

She shook her head as if trying to rattle her thoughts around in her head. She rubbed her eyes, even though she had shed no tears and sighed,

"Yes, I knew him from the Red Room"

Bucky sighed, relieved she was finally talking to them, he placed his right hand on her knee and gave it a slight nudge,

"Okay" He said before continuing, "Do you know his name?"

Her eyes widened and looked panicked. Her eyes flicked to Nat before back to the ground,

"It was Alexi Shostakov, the Red Guardian" her voice shook

Natasha took her hand off his shoulder, like she had been burned. She took a step back, eyes wide. She hadn't heard or thought of that name in years. They told her that he was dead. And the worst part was that she believed them. She actually believed Hydra when they told her that he was dead.

James was confused. He had never heard this name before,

"Who is that?" He questioned, looking back at the red head.

Rina and Nat shared a look before Natasha continued,

"He was my husband"

All he could do was stare. All words and sensibility left him. She was married? What else had he missed?

Natasha watched him carefully, she didn't know how he would react. They had talked a lot about the past but never about what happened after they took him away.

"Did you recognize anyone else?" She asked trying to change the subject

The girl's wide eyed look returned, she looked scared, more scared than before.

She simply nodded her head,

"Yes" She said with a shaky voice

"Who?" He said trying to forget what he just heard

"His son, Maxim" her voice cracked with emotion at his name.

The two adults shared a look at the girl's sudden emotion before Natasha cautiously continued,

"Who is he... to you" She asked softly, kneeling on the other side of Bucky, setting a comforting hand on the girl's knee.

The girl looked up at the two adults in front of her, tears in her eyes. After meeting their eyes, she broke down. Sobs raked through her small body as she curled into herself.

Nat looked at James, neither of them knew what to do. They didn't want to touch her, the girl still wasn't completely comfortable with touch. So they just let her cry, sitting and waiting for her sobs to subside.

"Ok, ok I'm sorry" she said voice shaking as she wiped the tears from her face.

Natasha's heart twisted,

"You don't have to apologize, love. Just tell us when your ready"

The girl nodded,

"Remember when I told you they restarted the Widow program but with a twist?"

Natasha nodded and the girl continued,

"Well, they also restarted the Red Guardian program, but for more boys and they weren't trained to be fight for Hydra. They were trained to kill the Widows if we ever got out of their control"

Rina was staring at her hands and Bucky was looking confused at Nat. He didn't know about the first Red Guardian.

"The Red Guardian was Hydra's response to Captain America. They developed a super soldier of their own. The first was Alexi" she took a breath, it was hard to reopen this wound after it had already healed,

"He finished his training around the same time as I finished mine. Hydra thought we could keep each other in check. Each strong enough to take the other down." She said pausing her story to look up and find steel blue eyes trained on her, listening intently.

She took his hand as she continued,

"I didn't have a choice. It was a part of the punishment I faced after they took you away from me. They gave me something I'd always wanted but not with the man I wanted it with. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I didn't know how" her voice wavered a little at the end, the emotion finally getting to her.

He looked from her eyes to their joined hands and pressed a kiss to the back of her hand,

"It's ok, Natalia. You didn't have a choice"

Her shoulder fell, like a weight had been taken off them.

Rina watched with a small smile on her face,

"You guys are so cute"

They looked up, almost startled to see her still sitting there. They looked at each other and then back at Rina.

"Very funny Rina" Nat said giving the girl a small nudge

"What else about this new Red Guardian program?" Bucky asked her

The girl took a breath,

"They used the same method, they killed each other until there was only one left. Maxim. But when both programs started we were matched with a member of the other program. The success of your partner meant your success as well"

She traced the small scar on her wrist as she continued,

"I was matched with Maxim. We grew up together, fought together... killed together" her voice broke

She composed herself and continued.

"He won't stop until he gets me back. You need to let me go"

Natasha couldn't believe what she was hearing,

"Like hell, Ekaterina. We are not letting you go with him"

Bucky shook his head,

"We can protect you. You're safe here"

The girl shook her head and stood up causing the adults to stand as well,

"I might be but you aren't" she said her eyes darting between the two of them,

"Every moment I'm here you are in danger and I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to the two of you"

Nat took a step forward,

"We aren't going anywhere. Do you hear me?"

The girl nodded, she knew she was losing this argument.

"Ok, Nat"

Nat sighed, she hated arguing with Rina.

"I'm going to go see what Aunite Wanda is up to" the girl said, excusing herself.

They waited for the door to close and until the footsteps faded before turning to one another.

Natasha gave a weak smile,

"So... you got any exes I should know about?" She joked

Bucky let out a harsh laugh,

"You wish. Mine are all 90 or dead"

The silence covered them for a few minutes before Natasha broke it,

"What are we going to do?" She asked

Bucky closed the distance between them, standing so close to her that she could feel his breath on her head, she rested her head against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. Sighing before saying,

"Whatever it takes to keep her safe"

Ahhhh finally we meet our villain! Poor Rina! Sorry I haven't been updating as much, finals are coming up and practice is starting again so I have like no time to write! But new stuff is coming soon I promise! I posted a Steve Rogers one shot and my Peggy Carter book will be updated soon I promise!! Have a good day/night!
Xo,
Renee