Wakanda, August 13, 2016

𝙸𝚝'𝚜 𝙲𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚖𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚠. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝙸 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚗. 𝙷𝚈𝙳𝚁𝙰 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚌𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚢 𝚒𝚗 𝙽𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚑 𝙳𝚊𝚔𝚘𝚝𝚊 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚝. 𝙸 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚔 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚝𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎, 𝚜𝚘 𝙸 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚒𝚝 𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚢 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚘 𝙱𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚕𝚢𝚗 𝚊 𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚔 𝚊𝚐𝚘, 𝚝𝚘 𝙱𝚊𝚢 𝚁𝚒𝚍𝚐𝚎. 𝙿𝚎𝚐𝚐𝚢, 𝙽𝚒𝚔, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙷𝚘𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚔 𝚖𝚎 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚒𝚝, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝙸'𝚖 𝚝𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚛𝚞𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝙸𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚎𝚗𝚍.
𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚋𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚢 𝚋𝚎 𝚖𝚢 𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚢. 𝙸'𝚖 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚗𝚘 𝚘𝚗𝚎'𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚖𝚎 𝚢𝚎𝚝. 𝙸𝚝'𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚓𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞. 𝙸'𝚕𝚕 𝚔𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚒𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚐𝚋𝚘𝚡 𝚒𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚋𝚎𝚍𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚖. 𝙿𝚎𝚐𝚐𝚢 𝚊𝚕𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚘 𝚒𝚏...
𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝙸'𝚖 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚞𝚙. 𝙸𝚏 𝙸 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚉𝚘𝚕𝚊, 𝚑𝚎'𝚕𝚕 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚆𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚂𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚒𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚕𝚘𝚢𝚊𝚕𝚝𝚢. 𝙸𝚝'𝚜 𝚖𝚢 𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙸'𝚖 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚝. 𝙴𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝙸'𝚕𝚕 𝚜𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛... 𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚂𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚒𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚔𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚖𝚎.
𝙸𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚎, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚠, 𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎, 𝙱𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚢, 𝙸 𝚋𝚎𝚐 𝚢𝚘𝚞; 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚐𝚞𝚒𝚕𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚎. 𝙾𝚞𝚛 𝚔𝚒𝚍𝚜 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚏𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛. 𝙴𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚙𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚎. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚊𝚍𝚟𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚘𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚜𝚞𝚙𝚎𝚛-𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚒𝚎𝚛. 𝙵𝚊𝚒𝚛 𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑, 𝚜𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚐𝚘𝚝 𝚖𝚢 𝚖𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚑 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚎𝚛, 𝚜𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕. 𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚢, 𝙹𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚙. 𝙷𝚎'𝚜 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚖𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚊 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚘𝚗. 𝙷𝚎'𝚜 𝚊 𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚘𝚗𝚎.
𝙽𝚘𝚠, 𝙸 𝚐𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎'𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚕𝚎𝚏𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚘 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚂𝚊𝚛𝚐𝚎. 𝙵𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚢 𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚐𝚞𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚙𝚑 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙹𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚖𝚎.
𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝙸 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞, 𝙱𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚢 𝙱𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚜.
𝙷𝚎𝚛𝚎'𝚜 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞, 𝚔𝚒𝚍.
𝚈𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜, 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜,
𝙱𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚎

The tearstains blotching the last withered page of Evelyn Rogers' journal had long since dried. The new ones on top surprisingly didn't blur the ink any further. They merely coated those shed in the past, uniting in sorrow. In grief. In crushing heartache. 
Bucky hadn't uttered another word since Steve had coaxed him to Shuri's lab with Sam's help. He sat, deaf and blind to the world around him, with his lover's last words on his lap. All the good he'd learned and remembered had been shattered by one final revelation. One final truth he'd feared since he began reading that goddamn notebook. Ignorance truly was bliss.

Sightless eyes moved to the screen showing Nemesis' full DNA profile. It was all there for them to see. Nemesis — super-soldier, assassin for S.H.I.E.L.D., and scourge of HYDRA — shared fifty percent of Bucky Barnes' DNA, confirming what he'd learned through Evelyn's journal. She was his daughter. He could scarcely believe it.
Yet, in retrospect, it all made perfect sense. The way she looked, the way she talked, the way she moved in a fight even... She was his perfect copy, down to their shared allergy to cinnamon. The type O blood coursing through her veins with the super-soldier serum was his, while the type A was none other than that of her mother and uncle. None other than that of the sibling she'd shared a womb with. 

God, Jamie...

Bucky clenched his fist at the thought of the teenager he'd killed that Christmas eve over sixty years ago. He remembered him so vividly now. The fear and bravery in the boy's blue eyes as he'd confronted the Winter Soldier, as he'd confronted him. The muffled gunshot, the gurgled gasps, his son's blood mixing with his Evelyn's on the living room floor... And his daughter had witnessed it all. Was it any wonder she became an avenger?

Bucky looked for his friend, finding Steve seated on the other side of the table with his back to him and Sam hovering close-by. For a moment, Bucky considered talking to Steve, but Sam's warning headshake kept him from doing so. He was right; now wasn't the time. The wounds were too fresh for them to discuss what had happened rationally.
This was worse than Tony Stark and Siberia. Steve had stood by Bucky after finding out about Howard and his wife, but not even the righteous and just Captain America would forgive him for Evelyn. Not that Bucky believed he deserved forgiveness. He'd crossed a line from which there was no return.   

A suddenly hand touched his. Bucky blinked, jolted out of his stupor, and looked up. Natasha's kind eyes smiled sadly at him. He hadn't even noticed her presence before. Not that it mattered who was with him. Steve, Natasha, Sam, the Wakandans... To Bucky, they were only silent spectators to the dreadful climax of the clash between past and present.

"You okay?" she asked.

"No," he mumbled. "But I honestly don't care about me right now. It's Nem—Stephanie I'm worried about. What I did... I ruined her life."

"The Soldier ruined it, not you."

"We're the same, Natasha. At the end of the day, I'm still the one with blood on my hands."

"You're not him. And you didn't have a choice."

Bucky didn't respond. It was always the same excuse, but he knew better. He remembered. The Soldier hadn't killed Evelyn and Jamie because he'd been ordered to do so, but because he'd believed it was the only way to protect them from HYDRA. In some twisted way, Bucky understood that reasoning. That made everything so much worse.

"I gotta talk to her," he said.

"Do you want me to come with you?" asked Natasha.

"No. This is something I need to do myself."

With one last glance at Steve, Bucky forced himself to his feet and ventured into the bright-lit corridors outside Shuri's lab. He walked through the maze of Mount Bashenga in a daze, letting his body carry him out into the city and toward the palace, as his mind contemplated on what to do next. What was he supposed to say when he faced Stephanie? That he was sorry for killing her mother and brother? That he was sorry for hurting her all those times they fought? For almost killing her as well? 

How can I even ask her to give me a chance? How do I convince her I'm no longer the Winter Soldier when all that's needed to bring him back are those goddamn words? She'll never be safe with me. I can never... just be her dad. 

He stopped, having reached the medical wing in the palace annex in no time at all. The door to Stephanie's room stood ajar. Soft voices reached Bucky. He closed his eyes, realizing for the first time that Stephanie's voice was identical to Evelyn's. His quivering lips pressed together as he heard his lover speak to him then. Her siren call beckoned, urging him to go inside. But he stood frozen.

I can't do this. Evelyn, I can't do this without you. 

A non-existent breeze brushed his cheek. Her caress... Calming and warm. His lips tingled at her ghostly kiss. Then, her whisper. Alluring. Fortifying. And far too loud for him to ignore.

"Go to her, James."

Bucky took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and entered the room. All his resolve wavered when the voices stopped talking and two pairs of eyes settled on him. One piercing green, filled with animosity. The other a light violet, wide with wonder... and then fierce contempt. 
Stephanie's entire body tensed. She glowered at Bucky, her expression once more bearing all the hatred she yet harbored for the Winter Soldier. In the blink of an eye, she became his Nemesis again. Bucky braved her menacing glare, fully prepared to let her destroy him if that's what she wanted and needed. But then, he noticed a quaint apprehension beyond the desire to kill. 

'Why did it have to be you?'

That's what she said when she held a knife to his throat. She'd been crying then, too. Did that mean..?

"Lucas," he looked toward the old man, "could you give us a minute, please?"

"Forget it," reacted Lucas harshly. 

"I only wanna talk."

"What part of 'no' don't you understand? Just leave us the hell alone!"

Lucas stood up, gripping and raising his cane, as if he meant to throw it at Bucky, but Stephanie stopped him with a hand to his wrist. Her violet gaze — so much like her mother's — shifted to her godfather. 

"It's okay, Uncle Lucas," she said. "I wanna hear what he has to say."

"No, I can't let him hurt ya anymore," said Lucas.

"What more can he do?"

Bucky cringed at Stephanie's words. He wanted nothing more than to turn around and walk away, but that'd be cowardice. And Bucky Barnes was no coward. He fought every fight, faced every problem head on, and owned up to his responsibilities. It was a promise he'd made to himself long ago, after his mother died, and he wouldn't break it now. Family came first. 

"Lucas, please," he tried again. "Lemme do one good thing. For her."

The old man's eyes narrowed behind his glasses. He knew well enough the 'her' Bucky referred to wasn't the young woman in the room with them. With a defeated sigh, Lucas patted Stephanie's hand and came round the bed until he stood face to face with Bucky. 

"For her," he said. "Once. Then never again."

"Thank you."

Bucky stepped aside to let Lucas out of the room. Part of him — the part that still recognized Lucas as a dear friend and someone who'd move heaven and earth for him and the other dockers — almost reached out to prevent him from leaving. But just like he hadn't let Natasha join him, Bucky stayed his hand. He waited until the door fell shut and then turned back to Stephanie, the drumming in his chest getting louder with every breath he took. Why did a conversation with the daughter he never knew make him feel like'd rather face the Avengers in that airport in Leipzig all over again? 

"Hi," he began. "Um... H-How are you feeling?"

She didn't respond. Bucky shifted his weight from one foot to the other, fully aware of how awkward he must seem. He sighed, ran his hand through his hair, and said, "Look, I know you wanna kill me. And after what I just found out, I don't blame ya for it. But there's something you gotta know first. Something your... family may have hidden from you to protect you. You know me as the Winter Soldier, but my real name is James Buchanan Barnes. I was born in March 1917, and I lived in Brooklyn until I enlisted in the war in 1941. When I was thirteen, I met Evelyn and Steve Rogers, your mother and uncle."

Bucky paused, hoping for even the tiniest reaction from Stephanie. But she just looked at him, hands folded over each other in her lap, like he was a professor teaching a mildly interesting class. His palm began to sweat profusely as he continued, "When I was captured by HYDRA, Evelyn risked her life to bring me back home. She and I, we... things happened between us, and... What I'm trying to say is... I-I'm... your father."

"Yes, I'm painfully aware of that," Stephanie reacted with a sneer. "Thanks for remindin' me again of the shitshow that is my life. Just what the doctor ordered."

The ground shattered beneath Bucky's feet. He didn't know what was worse — Stephanie hunting him while fully aware she was his daughter or that the relation didn't even seem to matter to her. 

"You've... always known?" he asked, his voice faltering.

"That I was Bucky Barnes' daughter? Yes. And I used to be proud of that." Her scowl and condemning glare hardened. "Until I found out he and the son of a bitch that killed almost everyone I cared about are the same."

"We're not," said Bucky, hearing the underlying fear that came with that statement. "The Soldier is somethin' HYDRA created. I'm nothing like him."

"Aren't you?"

He wanted to deny it more than anything. But even as he met Stephanie's defiant gaze, Bucky knew he couldn't. The Soldier and he had blended into one being decades ago, their love and lust for Evelyn giving them common ground. Even now, he still relied on the Soldier's skills in a fight rather than his own. When he felt the tingling in his stump, he didn't see his own missing limb, but the one HYDRA had replaced it with. Tony did him a favor by destroying it during their battle in Siberia, but it would always be there, itching in the back of his mind. 

"Look," Stephanie's surprisingly soft voice brought Bucky back to the moment, "I... appreciate ya came to talk to me. And I'll admit, I'm relieved I didn't kill ya. But you gotta understand that us sharing DNA changes nothing for me. You stabbed my mother through the heart and shot my twin. I had to drag his unconscious body to an ally and call the paramedics anonymously before I set fire to my mother's house with her inside it, just so HYDRA wouldn't learn about me and Jamie. I couldn't even go to the hospital to be with him when he died. Uncle Howard and Aunt Peggy had to arrange the funeral and I could only watch from a distance as the ashes of the two people I loved most in the entire world were put in the ground in the same coffin. Jamie's name isn't even mentioned on the headstone, 'cause we... we're not supposed to exist."

Stephanie averted, her jaw clenching as she looked out the window. Bucky slowly approached and sat sideways on the very edge of the bed. His hand rested on the cover, mere inches away from hers. It was the closest he dared to come. 

"I'm sorry," he said weakly. "I know that means very little to you, but —"

"It means nothing to me," rebuffed Stephanie. "For over sixty years, destroying the Winter Soldier has been my mission. I trained with Aunt Peggy, I had Uncle Stark teach me how to make weapons and trackers, and I made Uncle Nikolai freeze me whenever we believed the Soldier was inactive. They all tried to get me to stand down, claiming the Soldier would be HYDRA's undoing if we reconditioned him, but I didn't care. I got so angry every time they so much as mentioned it. But then... I found out why that was."  

Her violet eyes found Bucky again. He silently gasped at their intensity, seeing Evelyn shining through them. She continued, "Do you remember our fight in 1991? When you slit my throat and threw me down Niagara Falls?"

Bucky wished to God he didn't. He nodded, unable to confirm it aloud.

"I didn't know how I survived at first. I woke up in a crevice, completely disoriented but healin' thanks to the super-soldier serum in my blood. When I later examined the gash, I found you somehow avoided every major artery, which didn't make any sense. The Soldier always went for the kill, but in that moment... That's when I thought back to all our fights and realized you never tried to kill me. You always incapacitated me, but without lethal force. I had to find out why that was, but I had no one left to turn to. My adoptive parents and Uncle Nikolai were dead, you killed Uncle Howard, Aunt Peggy had just been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and Uncle Lucas... Well, you've seen his reaction. Losing Momma and Jamie took a heavy toll on him. He was the only one who never talked me out of goin' after you."

"Then what did you do?" asked Bucky, hanging on his daughter's every word. 

"I traveled. Retracing every step I knew the Soldier had taken until I arrived at an underground base in Siberia. It'd already been abandoned, but there were still documents pertainin' to the Winter Soldier project in an office in the lower levels. Documents about a breeding trial with a nurse named Eva Roth, written by my mother."

The pit in Bucky's stomach grew heavier. He lowered his eyes in shame. His past really was coming back to haunt him with a vengeance. Yesterday, he hadn't even been aware he had children. Now, one of those children was telling him she knew all about the depravity Zola put him and Evelyn through. Bucky fervently prayed the twins had been conceived in a moment he'd been himself and weren't the product of what the Winter Soldier had done to their mother.

"Jamie and I were always told our father went missin' during the war after a failed mission to take down HYDRA," continued Stephanie monotonously. "With the war ending two years before we were born, and Momma never giving up hope you'd come back to us one day, it didn't take much to put two and two together. I'd planned to go back to California and confront Uncle Lucas, but that's when I heard about Red Guardian, the Soviet's version of a super-soldier. He'd destroyed the North Institute in Ohio, which was actually a HYDRA-front, and had just returned to Russia, where he was imprisoned by General Dreykov. I had to put everything on hold and join the Red Room to prevent that bastard from turning the Black Widows into super-soldiers."

"Which is how you met Natasha," concluded Bucky. "But you were only there for three years, right?"

"Dreykov was gettin' a little too attached to me. I tried to end him, but he got away from my trap. I had no choice but to make it look like the bombs took me out instead. Went back to California and stayed with Uncle Lucas for a couple of years before I let S.H.I.E.L.D. know I was still alive. By then, Sharon Carter had been made Agent 13. I thought I could trust her the same way I did Aunt Peggy, but she barely let me out of cryo, even when the Soldier was out. I cut all ties with her and S.H.I.E.L.D. after she woke me up a few days before the attack in Vienna. I'd intended to let go of my mission and just go back to California, but then you showed up again. It was all or nothin' for me then. One last attempt to kill the Winter Soldier and allow Momma and Jamie to rest in peace... or join them."

A pregnant silence fell between father and daughter. Bucky, having sat quietly on the edge of the bed the entire time, contemplated Stephanie's story with dismay. This girl had been through hell and back again because of him. They would never be what Evelyn had intended them to be. Still, he had to try.

"Stephanie... I know I'm about to ask a lot, considering... I'll understand if you don't wanna answer me right now, but —"

"Don't," she interrupted decisively. "Don't ask me to accept you as my father when you're still the Winter Soldier. Everything HYDRA put inside your head is still there. As long as he's a part of you... I want nothin' to do with you."

What little remained of Bucky's heart tore to shreds. He hung his head, pressing his lips together to hold back his tears, and pushed himself to his feet. That short distance between them was already unbearable. Bucky lingered, hesitant to say he loved her. It sounded forced in his head, and he was certain Stephanie wouldn't believe him. So instead, he said, "If you need me for anything, I'll be there. I promise."

He walked away, not bothering to wait for Stephanie's reply. Whatever she'd say would only gut Bucky further. And he needed every ounce of resolve and strength left within him if he hoped to make things right between them. 
As he returned to Mount Bashenga, a lone figure wandering through the by-now empty streets of a city basking in red twilight and darkening sky, Bucky Barnes took on a new mission. Come what may, no matter how long it would take, he would reclaim what was his. He would win back all he'd lost. And he would drive the Winter Soldier out. 
For Stephanie.
For Jamie.
For Evelyn.