Chapter 11

The plane ride was mostly silent. Steve kept his eyes trained on the horizon, Abi had her head laid back with her eyes closed as she healed and Bucky was staring at his fingers. Every so often he would glance over at Abi to see her wounds healing. The blood that covered her still unsettled him. It was Bucky who eventually broke the silence. 

"What's gonna happen to your friends?" His gaze was trained down at his hands in his lap. Abi glanced over at him tiredly.

Steve sighed. "Whatever it is, we'll deal with it." He glanced at Abi who nodded in response.

"I don't know if I'm worth all this." Bucky murmured.

"Don't say that." Abi said as she reached over and took his hand.

"What you did all those years, it wasn't you." Steve assured him. "You didn't have a choice. Neither of you did."

"I know. But I did it." Bucky glanced at them both before he dropped Abi's hand, got up and walked into the back of the jet.

Steve went to get up but Abi stopped him. "I got it."

She stumbled slightly as she stood and lent heavily on the wall as she moved forward. Bucky was sat on the bench in the kit room with his head in his hands. He didn't look up as she walked in and sat down.

"Hydra is responsible for everything we did. We didn't get a choice about whether or not we did what they wanted." Abi laid her hand on his arm.

He looked up and met her eyes. "It doesn't excuse it. I'm still a monster."

"We're both monsters. It's what they made us into. Doesn't mean that we don't have the chance to change that now." She ran her fingers over his jaw before threading her fingers through his hair. "We are in control of what happens next. No one can change that anymore. I promise."

He nodded as he relaxed into her touch.