POV: Bucky

"Thanks Sharon. I don't know what we would have done without you."

"No worries, it's normal. We gotta stick together."

Sharon's plan gives me new hope. I'll soon be rid of that bloody feeling of helplessness and I'm finally going to wrest my family from the hands of that detestable Barrett. My call with him helped us locate him, but it still sticks in my throat. I certainly won't show the same self-control the next time I see his mustache.

Both Sam and Sharon have really gone out of their way to help me. And we can count on the support of Clint, Hope and Scott for the operation we're planning. I'm grateful to have such good friends and teammates. After all these years on my own, I'm more aware of how fortunate I am to have them than anyone else.

Now that we've got everything organized, we're ready for action. I don't think I've ever felt such pressure before a fight, not even during that damn war. This time, the safety of those I care about more than my own life is at stake.

We park close to the lair. Once we've climbed the surrounding wall, everyone gets to their posts. Clint stays on the wall and moves further away to find a good shooting angle, while the Lang couple shrink and fly towards the building. Sam, Sharon and I carefully climb down the wall before moving into the park surrounding the building. We knock out the few security guards we come across and silently make our way to the entrance indicated by Sharon.

"Clint, are you in position?" Sam asks in our earpieces.

"Yeah, I see you. All clear."

"Scott, Hope, do you see anything?"

"She's on the 3rd floor at the north-east corner, but it looks like the kid's not with her. We keep looking."

"Hold up, there's something on the roof." Hope's voice alerts.

"What the-" We hear over the crackling noise before the communication cuts out.

"Guys, there are men on the roof!" Clint exclaims. "Hurry in before they see you. I'll take care of th- Ouch!"

"Barton?"

We hear muffled fighting noises, then the sound of the receiver being crushed. I exchange a glance with Sam. We're not even in yet and we've already lost contact with half the team. Something's definitely wrong.

To cap it all, a hail of gunfire bursts over our heads and we have to flatten ourselves against the building to avoid it.

"We've been spotted!"

"We can still make it." I say, determined to complete the mission. "Sharon, did you manage to open the door?"

"All done!" Her sentence is punctuated by the click of the lock.

"Go ahead, I'll take care of them and join you." Sam tells us, spreading his wings. "I'm gonna see if I can spot something from the outside."

"Don't be long!"

I follow Sharon into the building. We're trying to stick to the part of the plan we can still control. Find them, free them, get out of this mess.

"Go get your wife, I'll try to find your kid. Stay in touch."

We part ways and I take the stairs to the 3rd floor. I then head for the room Scott indicated earlier, staying on my guard.

"Okay, I've got the door in sight. Sharon, how are things going on your end?"

No answer comes. I can only hope she hasn't walked into another trap.

"They were expecting us!" Sam's voice suddenly rings out before breaking up in my earpiece.

What does that mean, they were expecting us? It's just not possible. I don't see how Barrett could have guessed we were coming.

"Sam? Sharon?" I call quietly.

"Hey, you!"

"Shit."

Things are definitely not going right today. The only guard stationed in the corridor has just spotted me. I knock him out with a punch to the jaw and quickly grab the bunch of keys from his pocket. I test several of them before one finally clicks into place.

Behind the door, I find my wife armed with a chair, ready to fight. She stares at me in surprise when I say her name and drops the piece of furniture, which crashes to the floor. I quickly cross the distance between us to hug her.

"Bucky, what are you- No!" She exclaims, taking a step back.

Taken aback by her reaction, I pull away from her and see her eyes full of fear. She's staring at the entrance of the room. I quickly turn around and prepare to fight a new attacker, but only Sharon is standing in the doorway.

I'm about to ask her where she's been when she closes the door behind her.

"Sharon? What the hell are you doing?"

"Bucky, go! Don't trust her!"

As my gaze shifts from one to the other, a flash of realization strikes me. But it's already too late.

Sharon has grabbed my wife and is pressing her gun against her temple. Totally bewildered by this sudden turn of events, I have no time to react. I stare at her, realizing the full extent of her betrayal. Her double-dealing. The ambush she set up in parallel with our plan. Her involvement in the kidnapping of my family. And yet, she still manages to hold my gaze.

"Don't try anything." She says placidly.

"So you're with them." I reply harshly, anger gradually replacing shock. "They're pretty confident they let you bring us here."

"Everyone could have done without this hitch. That Turk is such an idiot. I knew I should have been more selective in the casting."

"Where is..."

"Your kid is somewhere else, just as a precaution."

"Although I doubt his babysitters will last long." My wife comments, tense but surprisingly calm. "He knows how to give them a hard time."

Sharon rolls her eyes. My little boy apparently knows how to give the bad guys a run for their money—good.

I analyze the situation. I could try to disarm her, but right now I don't know what to expect from her anymore. Would she really shoot? Even if I do, I have no idea where my son is being held.

I still don't fully get her intentions or her role in this kidnapping. I've never wondered whether she left her criminal life behind when she left Madripoor. As far as I remember, her art dealing didn't involve any kidnapping or death threats, though. Would she risk sticking her neck out for money despite her position as a government agent?

I hold back all the insults that come to my mind. "Now what?"

"Now it's up to you. As a gesture of friendship, I'm ready to make you an offer. If you cooperate, you can enjoy a share of the profits, and even the guarantee of getting your kid back if things go well. I can give you some time to think about it."

"You dare talk to me about friendship? You've got a lot of nerve. What kind of friend are you to threaten my family and team up with their kidnappers?"

"It's the only offer I've got, so think about it carefully." She replies, glancing at her watch. "I'm gonna let you two chat, I think you've got a lot to talk about. As for me, I have to tell the others we've failed. Of course they'll be disappointed to learn you've been caught, and we'll have to come up with another plan. But when I tell them I've managed to retrieve information on where the bad guys plan to take you next, they'll know where to focus their energy."

"I'm gonna-" I roar, taking a step forward.

"You ain't gonna do anything. One word from me, and they get rid of your son."

"You're bluffing! I know they need him!"

"Well, that's what I thought too, but it seems he's not so unique anymore. Bye." Sharon pushes my wife, who lands in my arms, and leaves the room, making sure to lock the exit.

I frown before looking down at the mother of my child. "What does that mean?"

"I am pregnant."

Intense joy collides with the dread that paralyzes me. I don't know how to react. Becoming a father is the best thing that ever happened to me. But isn't having me as a father also the worst thing that ever happened to those children? The context of this announcement speaks for itself.

"Sharon, she's the one running things here." She explains, not waiting for my reaction. "She let us believe from the start it was the man with the mustache, when in fact he was nothing but her pawn. I don't know exactly what she's trying to do, but they're using us to carry out some kind of experiment. She interrogates me and puts him through all sorts of tests. I think they're collecting data on his strength and stamina. She's even given us medical tests, and I'm afraid of whatever else she might have in mind."

"Did she do that to you?" I ask, running my thumb over the marks on her face.

She lowers her head. I'm more mad at myself for trusting Sharon than I am at the traitor herself.

"How could I let myself be fooled all this time? How could I ever believe in her friendship?"

"We've both been fooled. That's what she's good at, fooling everyone."

"I can't believe she'd pull a stunt like this. It's..." Words fail me to describe how stupid and betrayed I feel.

I put a hand on her stomach. Worry keeps me from rejoicing completely, and not just because of the situation we currently find ourselves in. Her first pregnancy and delivery were difficult and challenging. But I already love this child, just as I've loved his brother long before he was born.

I still remember the day I held my tiny baby against me for the first time. Although he wasn't so tiny for a baby. I never thought I'd be capable of something as beautiful as giving life after taking so many. On that day, with my newborn in my arms, the assassin's shadow that was hanging over me vanished. The fear of losing them never left, but now that I've tasted this life I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Except their lives.

"This is wonderful news. I'm really happy. I'm just so afraid I won't be able to protect the two of you."

"I know you will. We're gonna get out of here, Bucky." She puts her hand on mine. "Remember that day we promised to go through everything together?"

"For better or worse, right?"

"We'll make it. Together."

"I love you." I place a kiss on her forehead and pull her close to me.

Once again, her strength impresses me. She has proved her courage and bravery several times since we met, even if I wish she'd never had to.

She's right. This isn't just about me this time, this is about our family. We need each other. We have to fight for our children. Together.

"I don't want either of them to go through what I've been through. I could never live with that."

"Then let's get out of here."