Author's Note: This chapter moves things ahead a little quicker than I originally planned, but this scene wanted to be written. I hope you enjoy. On my using Aleksander or Sasha for Bucky's Russian name - I always felt the Winter Soldier's handlers would not really have used a name that might echo back to James. They were trying to make him someone new. I went with something close to Yasha to stay in harmony with canon. Sasha seemed good, and Aleksander struck me as perfect for "the American" since it reminded me of an Irving Berlin song - "Alexander's Ragtime Band".

Breakthrough

Darcy stared at the glass, her eyes focused on the still figure apparently asleep on the bed.

"Miss Lewis."

"Agent," she replied, voice steady and emotionless.

Coulson stepped up beside her and she watched him from her peripheral. He too stared into the sparse room. Silence reigned for several long minutes - a strained silence trapped between them as their two very different training methods battled to see which could hold out the longest. He might have the benefits of SHIELD training on top of an already stoic personality, but she possessed a much longer lifespan with patience being a vital survival tool.

He broke first.

"The Council has demanded his surrender," he informed her.

"No."

"They will send everything they have against all of you," he warned, concern flickering on his face.

"Let them try," she replied, a dark smile slipping over her lips. "It will be intriguing to see if they can take us before our own plans go into effect. I wonder what they will think of their identities hitting the desk of every world leader within a few hours' time." She turned a cool look on him, a look made more dangerous by the curve of her mouth. "You might ask your director. I'm sure he's listening in?" He winced and she merely shrugged. "One thing about secret organizations, Agent Coulson? They trust no one…not even their own members. Nick Fury may trust Phil Coulson, but Director Fury does not trust Agent Coulson. That is how these things work. When you learn too much, if you have any conscience or heart left at all, you begin to question. When you begin to question, you become a liability to be retrained or removed." One eyebrow went up. "Fury's attempt to sabotage the nuclear detonation in Manhattan? I will guarantee a new plan has been set in motion to prepare for his removal – he showed his humanity, and that is not allowed."

Coulson's lips thinned. "Your past is coloring your perception."

"And your dedication is coloring yours," she replied calmly. "I hold faith with people, not things, not groups. Every intelligence organization is built on secrets, and secrets create dark shadows for dark-minded people to hide." Her eyes turned back to the glass, but Bucky no longer lay 'sleeping'. He sat on the edge of the bed, staring as if he could see them. Darcy knew he only saw his own reflection, but she stepped back anyway.

"Miss Lewis?"

"If he decides he wants out, the glass will not hold," she replied calmly. "I want room to maneuver."

His frown deepened and he moved back beside her. "I don't think-"

"You don't know," she interrupted smoothly. One hand firmly shifted him over a couple of feet. "SHIELD's files are slim, even with the information Natasha gave you." He repressed a wince and she smiled once more though her eyes never left Bucky's. "Fury should quit snarling in people's ears," she noted. "It's no wonder they go through so many communicators. I have been slipping in and out of SHIELD's files for a long, long time. Your security protocols are fairly routine now." Then she gave a small huff of amusement. "Besides – JARVIS can make them look like Swiss cheese if he wanted. It is the problem with using a system built and designed by Stark…Tony knows all of Howard's stuff."

"Why are you here, Miss Lewis?" he finally asked.

"You'll have to be a bit more specific, Agent Coulson," she answered, her voice light and artless. "I mean – 'here' can be taken in so many ways, you know."

"Miss Lewis," Coulson sighed.

"I'm just saying."

"You are not a college student," he stated firmly. "There is no need for your masks."

"There's always a need for a mask," she disagreed quietly, letting the façade drop, "but you'll still need to be more specific."

"Why is a Red Room operative-"

"Former."

He nodded. "Why is a former Red Room operative living as a college intern with a leading astrophysicist?"

"Protecting her," she replied. He went to protest and she held up a hand. "Anything else is going to have to be approved by Jane before I answer further." Her gaze turned to ice as she looked at him. "And do not ask her unless Thor is present. I understand she's been placed under Asgardian protection, and their legal ramifications could be seriously problematic." The fact that she wanted Jane to have a layer of protection against SHIELD remained an unstated truth in the silence between them.

"Very well," he finally agreed. His gaze shifted between her and Bucky once more. "It has been three weeks."

"And it may be another three years," she replied easily. "We will have to wait and see."

"Natasha I understand," he said questioningly, "but why you? Despite your training or even your past connection, why did Captain Rogers choose you as part of the guard? Why not Thor or Barton?" He shook his head. "Even if they had to pair up, it would make more sense to ask his teammates."

"You have to remember we are talking about Steve's best friend," she shrugged. "This is not a random innocent or fellow soldier. This is the man he considers family."

"He doesn't really know you though. Why does Captain Rogers trust you, more than them?" he asked curiously. There was no accusation in his voice, just an honest question.

"Simple," she replied with a smile. "I have excellent recommendations."

He frowned. "Who could possibly recommend you, outside of SHIELD or the Avengers that he would trust?"

"Oh, Agent," Darcy laughed lightly. "You are beginning to drift colder in this game of hot and cold."

"Miss Lewis, you are singularly frustrating."

Coulson kept talking and her mind absently took note of what he said, but her gaze focused on the sudden shift she could see in Bucky's blue eyes. "JARVIS, initiate Code White." She reached over and pushed Coulson towards the door. "You need to go now."

He frowned. "But-"

"Out."

Her simple, matter-of-fact voice drew him up abruptly and his gaze shifted between her and Bucky. He wouldn't see anything, she knew, because Soldat was good at what he did. Natasha would see; Steve might be able to tell the difference, but very few others would catch it.

Coulson opened the door and began to step out. He paused, glancing back at her. "I can help you."

"Thank you for the kind offer, Agent," Darcy gave him a quick smile, "but if I may quote an old friend of mine? 'As has always been the case, I don't require your help.'" She spun, kicking the door closed just as glass shattered across the room.

The metal fist withdrew back into the room before Bucky dove through the opening and rolled up into a fighting crouch. His dark gaze pinned hers and the air almost vibrated with the tension between them. Neither of them moved.

His voice rough, sounding scraped over gravel, broke the stillness. "Why?"

"They left me nothing," she replied. "So I left, taking all that remained."

The smallest hint of confusion twitched at his lips. "If they left you nothing-"

"I took their weapon, your memory, and myself," she interrupted him, eyes steady and solemn. "They were determined to destroy both Sasha and Darya. I wasn't going to let them."

Pain and anger chased each other across his face and she could see the tremor in his arms. He fought a battle, but whether it was with his memories or with his conditioning, she couldn't tell. A frown furrowed his brow. When he finally spoke once more, it seemed as though the words drew forth from the depths of him by torture more than by choice.

"Darya…I don't…can't…"

Bucky's shoulder grew tense, but his gaze seemed to shatter as he looked at her. Darcy grew still, an idea coming to her as she saw a hint of Sasha peering out from behind the cold mask. The others would have a conniption even if this worked, let alone what they'd think if it didn't. One small, overly sarcastic portion of her mind snorted to itself in amusement. If it doesn't work, you'll probably be dead anyway, so who cares if they have a conniption then?

She relaxed, letting her hands come out of their defensive positions even as she rose to stand, open and loose before him. Instead of preparing to counter an attack, she prepared herself to accept the consequences of leaving herself vulnerable. If he attacked now, she would be unable to defend herself and he could do an untold amount of damage to her.

And he knew, read it as only the best of the best could do.

That haunted blue gaze grew darker. Darcy waited. His eyes widened, narrowed, and then widened once more. The battle within him seemed to grow ever more intense the longer he watched her. His shoulders slumped slightly and he dropped out of the crouch, going to one knee. The shaggy brown hair shielded his face as his head dropped.

"Darya."

The anguished whisper drew her forward. She kept her movement slow and smooth, nothing to set off his instincts. Slowly she lowered herself until she knelt in front of him. Despite his taller height, she still had to duck her head to meet his gaze. Their eyes locked.

She could see him…all of him. Soldat was there, cautious and wary, but so was Sasha, passionate and fierce. This time she could also see another side of him winding through the maze in his eyes – Bucky was there in a half lost, half gutsy look he shared with the other boy from Brooklyn.

Her hands came up to frame his face and he lowered his forehead to hers. "Darya."

Darcy gave him a tremulous smile. "It's time to come in out of the cold."