(Bucky's POV)

The first thing I notice about Danielle when she and I surface is that she's not moving. Not flailing about to stay afloat. I angle her to see that her eyes are closed. She's out, I conclude grimly. I'm glad the bastard is at the bottom of the river, he deserves it.

The water is louder now, and I turn my head to see we're nearing the edge of a waterfall. Of course we are.

I can't pull Danielle and myself to shore; I don't have enough time, and the current will fight me the entire time.

The agents continue to fire on us. Jessabelle shouts something at them, and they cease fire. She wants us alive. She must see Dani. But they still pursue us like the hunters they are.

The pull is greater now. I hold Danielle close against me, pressing my lips to her wet head. The worst part about this is the anticipation, the knowledge that we're about to plunge over an edge, this time against our will. My jaw locks as the chopper's spotlight stays on us, like we're the lead roles in a play.

This is what this is to Hydra: a show. Something for their entertainment.

Going over the edge isn't so bad, I'm used to falling from great heights. All the way down, I make sure I land first and not Danielle. She's already knocked out and hurting from what I've seen. I'd heard the gunshot, someone had shot her. Where they got her, one of her legs is my best guess.

I'll know once I swim us to shore.

My back is the first thing that hits the water. We sink like rocks before I kick to angle us so we can surface. I forget about Hydra, forget that we're only delaying our capture at this point. My sole focus is Danielle and making sure she's alive.

I spit out water once I hit fresh air. I notice the rain has stopped all of a sudden. I keep Dani afloat and gently tug her to shore. She's nothing to me, practically air. The thing delaying me is trudging through the water. For the first time, in a long time, I'm almost worn to the bone. I'm certainly soaked that deep.

I'm breathing slightly heavy, but I'm not entirely out of breath. My eyes are focused on the alluring piece of soaked land just ahead. It's motivation enough for me to dig in my reserves to pull us out.

I'm almost pulled back into the memory, but I don't let it take over. This is almost like the time I had saved Steve's life, only I don't try to kill Dani before saving her. We don't fall from a doomed Helicarrier. I'm not the Winter Soldier. I'm not about to leave her unattended.

I can't let her die; I've had enough people die around me. And that was before I ran away from Hydra. I don't want Dani of all people dead. I'd feel like I'd failed Vanessa, S.H.I.E.L.D., and most importantly Dani. I can't afford to have her die in my care.

I drag her unconscious form onto the ground back first. Her appearance startles me. Her face looks too tranquil for me, her overall color a little too pale. I press my ear to her chest. There's a heartbeat. My shoulders sag with temporary relief.

At least she saves me from performing CPR on her.

With the gentlest touch possible, I roll her onto her side so I can see what's hurting and where. I grimace at the small hole that's pierced through her pants. Red seeps through, traveling over the soaked material.

I act on instinct, tear a piece of her pants off to make a tourniquet for her leg. I have a feeling I know the culprit behind the shot. The person behind the gun.

She hasn't stopped torturing her little sister. The bullet in the back of her leg is just another blow to Dani.

I put Dani back on her back, hover over her.

"Dani?" I whisper. It's only a test to see just how out-cold she really is. "Dani?"

She stirs, but just barely. Her lips are slightly parted, her eyelids barely move. "Bucky?" she croaks.

"It's okay," I assure her gently, carefully stroking her face.

She groans, squinting her eyes shut. "It hurts."

"I know." I quiver in anger. They did this to her. They're the reason she's like this right now.

They're behind it all. Behind all the suffering, all the pain.

But I can't take out Hydra singlehandedly. I'd definitely die trying. I can't have her lose me.

Once Dani passes out again, from exhaustion, pain, or a combination of both, I gather her soaking form in my arms and look around. Looks like we'll have to live in the wild: all that surrounds us are trees. No surprise there, I didn't expect to go from woods to city by falling over a waterfall. Blood pounds in my ears, water continues to drip down and off my body.

I spin around and pick a random direction. I don't run in case it moves Dani too harshly around. I take it at a very slow trot.

But I don't get very far. I skid to a halt when Hydra agents burst from behind their covers, guns pointed right at us. Did I take that long to get us to shore? Are they just that fast? If I didn't have Dani in my arms, I would have started firing. I even consider trying to fire with her in my arms, but I realize I lost my gun during the fall. Besides, it's too risky for both of us. She's barely clinging to life as it is, I don't want to be the reason she loses that battle.

"Move and we shoot," barks a gruff male voice.

I snort, hold Dani closer to my chest. Not that it'll help warm her any—my clothes are just as soaked as she is.

"I told you, we keep them alive," a harsh female voices chides him. I tense and even take a step backwards as she emerges from her cover, a Cheshire smile on her face.

Jessabelle.

"You should have left sooner," she croons, tutting. "Don't make us have to kill you both. You're too valuable." She tilts her head.

"But not valuable enough to leave alone," I snarl, wishing I could set Dani aside and throttle Jessabelle right now.

"Play nice, and we'll all get along just fine."

The agents start to move in closer, as though they're going to take Dani from me. Not a chance in hell. They should know better than to try something and expect to get away with it. Still, I can't say that I won't enjoy reminding them of who I am and what I can do should they cross me.

"No, let him have her," Jessabelle tells her fellow agents. "He'll come willingly, he doesn't have a choice. The game ends here."

If only looks could kill right now, Jessabelle would be dead. I can't even picture Dani and Jessabelle in the same room together, let alone work together for the same organization. The whole concept of Jessabelle, Dani, and Vanessa working for opposite sides is still strange to me.

I can understand why Vanessa never mentioned Jessabelle to Dani.

I grit my teeth when one of the agents decides to be a little bold and poke me in the back with their gun. They know I won't do anything with her. If Dani wasn't in my arms, I would have swung around and knocked them out easily. Grudgingly, I step forward. Jessabelle's smile broadens even more.

It must feel like Christmas for her: she's getting what she wants. Hydra is getting what they want.

Security is ramped up around me, I've got agents on all sides. As if I'll do anything and risk Dani's life. I keep looking down at her, making sure she's okay. She's definitely showing signs of life: she's twitching a little bit in my arms. Adjusting her head against my body. She's just recovering is all.

Recovery. I wonder what they'll do about her bullet wound. Will they patch her up? Will they leave the bullet in there? I wouldn't put it past Jessabelle to do something so malicious to Dani. After all, she murdered Vanessa. Who's to say she won't play with Dani?

At least she's alive. She's still fighting. She's been fighting her whole life. Despite being escorted to the worst place on earth, I'm proud to have someone like Dani in my life. Someone who's changed me the most. I smile faintly.

But the smile disappears once the grim reality hits me. We'll be back right where we started: in the wrong hands.