I slowly open my eyes, realizing that I'm in an empty hall with weak light and a fresh cold. Feeling the bandage and the heavy splint around my arm, I remember that Steve carried me into some sort of surgery room in one of SHIELD's secrete hiding places where they took care of my arm and wounds while I was under anesthetic. My memories are blurry but at least I got rid off the numbness in my hands and most of the pain. Adjusting to the light, I just now notice Steve sitting half asleep right next to me.

"Hey." He greets me tiredly and sits up. "How are you? You've been asleep for a few hours."

"It hopefully won't become a habit to keep waking in foreign places." I only mumble and the pounding in my head makes me scrunch up my face. "Where are the others?"

"Well, about that... guess what? Fury's alive. He faked his death to escape Hydra, had already a suspicion about them infiltrating SHIELD. Natasha and Clint knew about it and were involved in his plan." Steve briefs me in and I just roll my eyes.

"Why doesn't this surprise me anymore?" I sit up and Steve quickly hands me a little glass with a blue liquid. "What's that?"

"Greetings from Bruce. It fastens the metabolism and therefore your healing abilities. He and Tony have to deal with a lot in New York right now because there are also SHIELD agents in the Avengers Tower but they're fine, don't worry."

I sigh relieved about their well being and swallow the bitter tasting medicine, pulling a disgusted face. "Maybe I should've drunk it with sugar and tea."

"Maybe." Steve's almost-smile falls which worries me. "Bucky's alive, but different... what are we gonna do now?"

"We'll save him." I declare with determination. Nothing, not even Hydra, can stop me from that. "He must be there still, somewhere behind the Winter Soldier, even though Hydra messed up his mind. We're gonna kill every single person that belongs to this bloody organization and stop Project Insight. Then we'll find a way to bring Bucky back."

"What if Fury doesn't give us permission?"

"I don't care. He's not the director of SHIELD anymore." I shrug, then my voice lowers as it is laced with insecurity. "Do you believe that Bucky can still come back?"

The following silence tortures me and makes me feel sick, letting my hope slowly crack. Steve presses his lips together to a thin line, glancing at the ground. "I honestly don't know... But what kind of friends would we be if we didn't try everything to get him back?"

"He's still there... He needs to be..." I mutter desperately, refusing to believe something else.

"I know." Steve sighs and strokes my back gently, "Come on, the briefing is about to start. We're creating a plan on how to destroy Hydra. Can you get up?"

I nod and stand up carefully, Steve offers me his arm for support but I just shake my head. If I wanna be able to fight, I need to heal faster and be able to walk on my own. Through the long and mostly dark corridor, we end up in a little room where Fury, Maria Hill, Natasha, Clint and Sam are standing around a table with a suitcase on it. I just nod towards Fury after staring for a short while at his bandages coated body. "You look pretty good for someone who's supposed to be dead."

"You look pretty tired." He responds and motions for us to come closer. Maria continues with the plan.

"Once the helicarriers reach three thousand feet, they'll triangulate with Insight satellites becoming fully weaponized. We need to breach those carriers and replace their targeting blades with our own." She points at the three chips in the case. "One or two won't cut it. We need to link all three carriers for this to work, because if even one of those ships remains operational a whole lot of people are gonna die."

"We have to assume everyone aboard those carriers is Hydra. We need to get pass them, insert the server blades, and maybe, just maybe, we can salvage what's left..." Fury hopes but I interrupt him immediately.

"No. We're not salvaging anything. If we're taking down the carriers, we're also taking down SHIELD and Hydra. This cruel organization was right under your nose and nobody noticed."

"Why do you think we're meeting in this cave? I noticed. SHIELD has nothing to do with it." Fury defends himself but I shake my head.

"How many people had to give their life and suffer before you did? I don't care if you all are gonna end up without a job." I half glare at him and he sighs, now knowing my intention.

"Look, I didn't know about Barnes."

"Even if you did, would you have told me?" I tilt my head and lean my hands on the table. "There's no difference between SHIELD and Hydra anymore. Both have to be destroyed."

"She's right." Clint agrees with me, Natasha and Sam nod. "What happened to Barnes shouldn't be repeated. Hydra must have screwed him up."

I shoot him a thankful glance and a half smile which he returns with a casual nod. Fury glances at Steve and waits for an answer but he just shrugs with his broad shoulders. "You already know that I always agree with her."

"Fine. Looks like you two are giving the orders." Fury gives in, half rolling his eyes. "Rogers, Farrell, Wilson, you are gonna replace the chips on the helicarriers. Barton, Romanoff, Hill and I are gonna take care of Pierce and the SHIELD HQ."

"Sounds good." I let go off the table and walk towards the exit. "If you don't mind, I'm gonna get some air now. It's awfully muggy and dirty here and I have a headache."

Luckily, nobody stops me but I feel their stares boring into my back, leaving discomfort behind. Everyone knows that I need time to process Bucky's return and I can only imagine how I must look like the weak, lovesick girl in their eyes. Maybe I am. I leave the building and the bright sun greets me when I arrive at a bridge. It's an oddly beautiful day, the warmth on my skin relaxes me slightly but my thoughts still cause a mess in my mind. My gaze is focused on the nothing in the distance as I drown in nostalgia.

"Why do you wanna have a girl?" I ask Bucky curiously and look down to him, putting the book aside. His head lies on my thighs and his gray-blue eyes glance up at me in confusion after he has removed a newspaper where an article about Steve and me is printed, from his face.

"Isn't it obvious?" He raises a brow in the air and sits up, I only shake my head. A grin forms on his thin lips. "I wanna have a mini version of you, of course. An amazing girl, just like her mother."

"And why Rosie?" I continue questioning and he decreases the distance between us as his warm breath touches my skin.

"Because I know that she's gonna be beautiful, yet strong like a rose." He plants a short but tender kiss on my lips, smiling while I feel a prickling inside me. "Why are you asking?"

"What if I'd rather have a mini version of you?" I hide my insecurity behind a half lie and force a smile. The fear that he may get cold feet and not want to marry me anymore is still there, deep down rooted in my chest. I'm just scared that I could do something like my mother did.

"Then let's have more than one." He smiles brightly and kisses my nose. "But seriously, canary, I just want to have a family with you. Because I love you and know that you're gonna be the best mother in the world."

"Are you sure?"

"I know it." He assures me with certainty and my insecurity disappears as a smile graces my lips. Who would have known that we would talk about having children after almost ten years?

"Rosie..." I whisper and play with the dog tag around my neck. After SHIELD had removed my child, I found out that I can't have children anymore. It didn't surprise me, I mean, I spent almost seventy years in the ice. But now it somehow hits me deeper than before again and a single tear rolls quietly down my face.

Please, Bucky, please come back and remember, I pray, aware that he cannot hear me. But he has to come back or else I don't know how to keep living with the guilt that visits me in my sleep. How to continue my life, knowing that he's out there somewhere, tortured by Hydra.

I remember the way he stared at me on the highway, his blue eyes were blank and empty like a machine, filled with a cold that causes a terrifying shiver. My hands are shaking, grabbing the dog tag incredibly tight now, so tight that it could melt to one with my hand. Who would have thought that the one I would take a bullet for is now behind the trigger?

***

"Okay, before we walk in, I need to talk to you." Clint stops me while I raise a brow and tie up my hair into a ponytail. Steve and I stole our combat suits from the Smithsonian, it would have been hard to fight in our normal clothes. I motion Steve, Sam and Maria not to wait for us and to go on through the secrete corridor that leads us to the SHIELD HQ control center.

"What's up?" I ask and adjust the pad around my left upper arm. It hasn't completely healed but I can move it better now, also the painkillers help a lot.

"I know how much Barnes means to you, trust me, I do. If there hadn't been Nat to save me, I wouldn't be here today. But, and I really hate to say this, don't forget the mission."

"The mission is to save Bucky." I say it harsher than I planned to but with no regrets.

"I know, I know, but there's gonna be a time where you have to choose between him and the world. And as much as you love him, don't forget that it's one life against a million. If he really won't become his old self anymore, then you're gonna have to make a decision. Bucky or the world. And you have to live with this decision."

"This... this is wrong. I don't have the right to play God and choose who gets to live and who not." I press my lips together and my eyes burn. This kind of responsibility is something I hoped never to carry to.

"No one does. But I don't think there's someone else who deserves more to choose about Barnes' life than you. Just don't be too subjective about that, okay?" A sad smile graces his lips before he continues walking on. I follow him quietly, entering the control center that is under our control now. Bucky is important to me, he's the reason why I'm who I am, but... but... I'm an Avenger now. My job is to save the world.

"Attention, all SHIELD agents. This is Steve Rogers. You've heard a lot about me over the last few days, some of you were even ordered to hunt me down. But I think it's time you know the truth. SHIELD is not what we thought it was, it's been taken over by Hydra. Alexander Pierce is their leader. The STRIKE and Insight crew are Hydra as well. I don't know how many more, but I know they're in the building. They could be standing right next to you. They almost have what they want: absolute control. They shot Nick Fury and it won't end there. If you launch those helicarriers today, Hydra will be able to kill anyone that stands in their way, unless we stop them. I know I'm asking a lot, but the price of freedom is high, it always has been, and it's a price I'm willing to pay. And if I'm the only one, then so be it. But I'm willing to bet I'm not."

Steve's voice is laced with inspiration and freedom, his speech echoes through the whole SHIELD Headquarter. His words remain in my mind and I struggle more about what to do. Bucky or the world. I have to choose. Steve nudges me and motions me to speak too and I swallow. I'm not like Steve, I have never inspired a group of strangers.

"My name is Eve Farrell. You may know me as Voltricity, I was made to take Hydra down. And I failed and I'm sorry. But now I've got the chance to atone for my failure and like my friend already did, I'm asking for your help. Hydra took away a lot from us. Our friends, our family, even our trust. But they will never break one thing: our will to fight what we stand for. We're the only ones who can save the world now, who can prevent another loss. People believe in us, so let's kick Hydra's ass and live up to their faith."

My words have left first insecurely my lips, carrying wobbliness but then they've run strong like a river, growing more and more with an intensive meaning than insecurity. Sam stares at us when my speech ends and his dark eyes beam admiration. "Did you two write that down first, or was it off the top of your head?"

A little smirk arises on my lips but it vanishes quickly again. One life against a million. It's basic math, but still... how will I choose?

A/N- Before anyone judges Eve, I just want to keep it realistic. Of course, she loves Bucky with her whole heart but it actually would be selfish to choose him over millions of people, that's why she struggles. She's never been really selfish and she's an Avenger, don't forget that. Her task is to save the world.