Summary: A Civil War AU for Bucky's interrogation scene. Steve reaches the cell in time to stop Zemo before the trigger words are complete, leaving Bucky's mind caught in mid-transformation. Now continuing into a multi-chapter affair. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no profit from my literary endeavors.

Author's Note: My apologies for taking so long to get this final chapter posted! Maybe I just don't want the story to end. So thanks to everyone for your patience, and for accompanying me and the boys on this fun little adventure! I hope you enjoy the conclusion.

The Wrong Side of the Glass

Chapter 6

Before her guests departed the following morning, Laura supplied them with extra toiletries and blankets, along with perishable food that they surely wouldn't find in the bunker – bread, cheese, fresh fruits and vegetables, etc. And as a special treat for the road…

"The kids wanted to make cookies for you boys before you left, as a thank you for helping out around the farm." Grinning widely, she handed Bucky two zip-lock bags stuffed full of fresh chocolate chip cookies, with the words "Thank you!" and "We'll miss you!" written in permanent marker on the outside.

Barnes accepted the present with a grateful smile of his own, the most genuine one Steve had yet seen from his old friend. After all, this was easily the sweetest gesture (both literally and figuratively) in the recent memory of all three fugitives.

"Thank you. I…really do appreciate everything you've done for us." Bucky looked at both Laura and Clint as he spoke, a bit hesitant but totally sincere in his choice of words. The time spent in this tranquil place had definitely improved his state of mind since the departure from Berlin. Like Steve and Sam, he was sorry to leave, but the Soldier knew even better than they did how necessary it was. He also understood that much darker times and places lay ahead of them now.

Hawkeye knew it as well, and so he wanted to give his friends a positive sendoff. "Happy to help where we can. Good luck, you guys! And don't worry; I'll make sure the kids know that the big guy with the metal arm was never here."

Clint waved farewell as the jet took off, watching until it disappeared above the clouds, and then he slowly turned to go back inside. It was time to have that Winter Soldier conversation he'd promised Laura – if she still wanted it.

Under Bucky's navigation, Steve guided their quinjet to the forsaken Hydra bunker in Siberia, concealed so well beneath a harsh terrain of rock and snow. However, apart from Barnes' directions to the pilot, few other words were spoken on that long journey; even Sam seemed unusually subdued.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Rogers worriedly pressed his friend as the trio later stepped out of the jet and into the bitter Russian wind.

"I'm sure." Bucky nodded firmly, although his wavering voice begged to tell a different story. With nervous energy, his hands shifted the rifle he had taken from a weapons rack in the back of the jet; he had also loaded and holstered a couple of pistols.

"What are those for?" Wilson asked, frowning. "I thought you said this place was deserted."

"There's…something we need to take care of first. Before we do anything else."

Without another word, the Winter Soldier entered the access codes to get them inside the bunker and then led them on a grim descent downward. At one point, while in the elevator, Steve thought for sure that Bucky's mind had strayed into another time and place altogether. He wasn't moving a muscle, barely even breathing, and his eyes had lost all focus. He looked remarkably like a trapped animal, and the old-fashioned "caging" surrounding the elevator certainly didn't help that impression.

"Bucky? Bucky!" Steve tried more sternly after an unsuccessful first attempt. Barnes' troubled eyes moved to his face, and Captain America offered an encouraging nod. "It'll be all right."

When the elevator stopped at its lowest point, Bucky silently brought his companions through a labyrinth of musty corridors to the central chamber.

"What the hell is this?" Sam immediately wondered aloud.

He and Steve both stopped short at the bizarre sight before them – a semicircle of matching cryo chambers, five of which were currently occupied. The scene looked like something that belonged in Star Trek, which Steve had recently crossed off his "list," rather than on planet earth. And how Steve's heart ached to think of the years upon years that Bucky had spent in exactly this state!

"I wasn't the only Winter Soldier," Barnes explained softly. His blue eyes jumped from chamber to chamber, never lingering long on any individual assassin housed within. "These five used to be Hydra's most elite kill squad, even before they were given the serum. We're lucky no one found them here before us and woke them up."

"Amen to that!" Falcon fervently agreed.

Five precise bullets later, the bunker was secure. Knowing that they couldn't just leave the bodies there to rot, the three runaways pooled their strength to haul the corpses up to the surface and pitch them one by one over the side of the nearby cliff. Bucky pointedly avoided Steve's gaze as they watched the dead soldiers tumble limply down into the icy gorge, limbs flailing about like puppets without strings. Even if the flashbacks were sure to trigger more severe nightmares than usual for him later, right now he could pretend it didn't bother him – for Steve's sake, if not his own.

With that unpleasant chore out of the way, they then explored the rest of the bunker and found it to be just like Bucky had predicted: secluded, abandoned, and stocked well enough to last them a few months. Once they brought in all the remaining food and weapons stores from the jet, they truly would be in a good position. Physically, at least.

Mentally and emotionally, Bucky could already feel his strength beginning to break down. Yes, it had been his idea to come here, and he understood the practicality of it. But when their explorations led to a control room adjacent to the cryo chambers – the room with The Chair – he seriously debated if it might not have been better to simply turn themselves in. That damn chair. The task force had used a similar one in Berlin, and Bucky had kept expecting a bite guard to be shoved in front of his face the entire time. No wonder he hadn't been able to sleep in it!

The chair, the cryo chambers…it was all so horribly overwhelming, both to his memories and his physical senses. And despite knowing full well that they were only ones in the bunker, he still jumped and spooked like a jittery horse every time he passed by a group of shadows. Some fearless assassin he was!

By unspoken consensus, none of them wanted to sleep alone in this dismal place, nor would Steve have allowed Bucky to attempt it, anyway. As expected, all of the beds were either chained or bolted down, so Barnes easily ripped three of them free with his left hand before dragging them into a common area outside the tiny barrack rooms. He and Steve pushed their beds close together, while Sam's went on the other side of the room. No one mentioned aloud that the arrangement was as much for Sam's protection as for the two super-soldiers' convenience. If Bucky were to lash out in his sleep, an unfortunate probability, it would be best if Steve was the one close by to take the brunt of it.

Sam playfully dubbed their arrangement "the world's most depressing sleepover."

"That may be true," Steve admitted, "but at least we aren't sleeping behind bars. I just wish we had something to help pass the time."

"Way ahead of you, Cap! Guess what I found in one of the barracks?" Wilson triumphantly held aloft a deck of playing cards. "There are a dozen variations of poker that I can teach you guys."

Amused, Steve cracked a smile for the first time since their arrival. "Really? And what are we going to bet with?"

"How about bullets?" Bucky suggested with a shrug. "No shortage of those lyin' around here."

"Good idea, James! The more powerful they are, the more they're worth." Sam's enthusiasm about the idea was contagious, as all of them had deeply needed a light-hearted moment like this.

They spent the next several hours playing cards on Barnes' and Rogers' combined beds, consuming both bags of chocolate chip cookies along the way. Sam and Bucky shared a laugh more than once over the Captain's inability to bluff at poker, but Steve was happy to be the butt of the joke if it meant seeing his two dearest friends smile under these extreme circumstances. He could tell that Bucky especially needed a distraction. He was putting up a bold front, most likely for Steve's sake, but it couldn't be easy for him to be back in this place – literally the site of his worst nightmares.

And sure enough, the nightmares wasted no time in returning to torment their favorite victim. Bucky woke up crying that first night, choking back an all-out scream before it could be realized. Trembling and panting heavily, he glanced over and saw that Steve still slept beside him undisturbed. Although relieved not to have woken his friend, a small, childish part of him almost wished that he had. Bucky gingerly placed his left hand less than an inch away from Steve's right, which lay stretched out toward him on the mattress, but didn't actually touch him. Then he hid his face in the pillow, both to muffle his breathless sobs and to block out the shadows that haunted him on all sides.

But Steve finally heard him and woke up of his own accord, taking the metal hand in his own and intertwining their fingers. He didn't say anything, just allowed his friend to cling to him like he had done back in the cell. Steve squeezed back to reassure Bucky of his presence, though he could never quite match the strength of that mechanical grip. It felt like surely his finger joints were about to pop out of place, or maybe the bones themselves would snap in half; but he didn't once complain, or even think about breaking the physical contact that served as Bucky's lifeline.

When the tears had subsided, Rogers scooted closer and laid an arm across Bucky's shoulders, very gently massaging the back of his neck until he relaxed and they both fell asleep again. All this had been accomplished without a word being spoken, and they had even managed not to wake Sam.

If only all of their nights could have been resolved in such a peaceful manner.

Bucky's nightmares grew progressively worse as the days wore on, and in turn his awakenings from them became more and more violent. Usually, after pushing away his bedmate, Barnes would press himself into a corner and there battle the violent terrors of his own mind. Each incident took longer than the previous for him to recognize Steve as a friend while the other man tried desperately to calm him down, and Sam urged Rogers to allow the Soldier his space during these moments of panic. So far, when given enough time, he had always come back to them under his own power and then been more than willing to accept comfort and reassurance afterward.

Steve knew Sam was right, especially given his background as a therapist, but that didn't mean he could always heed the advice. Sometimes it was just too much seeing his friend like this – huddled in the corner again and shivering like he had in Berlin. Once, when Rogers' concern overrode all sense of self-preservation, he came too close too soon, and Bucky lashed out at him with all the ferocity of the Winter Soldier.

The distraught Captain wasn't nearly as alert as he should have been in this situation, nor did he have his shield in-hand when he approached; he had vowed to himself that he would never use it against Bucky again. And so Barnes caught him in the unprotected ribs with a swift kick, and Steve dropped to his knees with a grunt as the breath fled from his lungs. It never had a chance to return either, for the Soldier immediately latched onto Rogers' throat with his left hand and squeezed.

"Steve!"

Thankfully, Wilson's cry of alarm was enough to bring Bucky back to the present. As suddenly as they had come, the metal fingers released their hold, and Steve gasped for air around the painful spasms of his throat. He fell back from Barnes, and Sam gripped his shoulders to pull him even further away, never mind that Bucky was now watching them through eyes filled to the brim with horror and self-loathing.

When Steve had adequately caught his breath, he brushed Sam's worried hands away and again drew near to the unstable assassin in their midst.

"Stubborn fool," Falcon muttered to himself, though he made no move to stop his friend.

"Bucky?"

Steve crouched in front of him, still heedless of his own safety, and gently laid his hand on the other's knee. But Barnes only shook his head, unable to look Rogers in the eye as he stammered out an apology.

"I'm sorry! I hurt you again. Oh God, Steve, I'm so sorry…"

Tears streamed openly down Bucky's cheeks now, and he looked so thoroughly miserable that Steve himself stumbled over what to say next.

"It's okay, Bucky, there's no harm done. You should know by now it takes a lot more than that to really hurt me."

His attempt to lighten the mood failed epically, as it only reminded the Soldier of how he had almost killed Captain America on that helicarrier over the Potomac. Of all things to remember at such a time…

"I don't think I'll ever be free from them, Steve." Barnes' entire body drooped as he spoke, dejected and defeated. "Not really – not in the way we both want."

A new sort of pain threatened to close off Steve's throat now. "You shouldn't say things like that, Buck."

"Why not? We all know it's true. I can try to bury it, like I did after the fight in Washington…but I can't kill it. Not without killing the rest of me."

Steve's instant dismay must have shown, because all of a sudden Bucky was the one seeking to placate him. "Now, wait, just hold on before you freak out! That's not what I meant."

"Well, it's what I heard," Rogers challenged, only marginally convinced. "Don't scare me like that!"

Bucky sighed heavily, his eyes still downcast. "You know what I mean, Steve. Everything Hydra did is still there, deep down inside of me…and I'm starting to think it always will be. All the more reason not let anyone get too close; I never know what I might do, or when."

"No, that's all the more reason not to push people away. At least, not the people who want to help you; people who understand the risks but just don't give a damn – because they care about you."

"I don't deserve that, either; look what I almost did to you."

Oh, brother. Hadn't they already had this discussion? Steve ran a hand through his blonde hair, aggravated at feeling so helpless.

"Then we need to go somewhere else. Bucky, I can't stand watching you go through this night after night; you don't have to torture yourself!"

"Right – because there are plenty of other people who'd love to do it themselves." It was the Winter Soldier's macabre attempt at humor. "But you can stand it if I can, Stevie. If there was a better place for us to go, we would already be there. I just wish I could think of something different as long as we're stuck here."

And there was the clue Steve had been waiting for! Now he knew what to do, what new approach to take.

"Hey," he prompted, leaning closer, "do remember the time when we had to ride all the way home from Rockaway Beach in the back of that freezer truck?"

After a moment of concentration, Bucky finally glanced up at his friend in gratitude and rewarded his efforts with a tiny, melancholy smile.

"Someone's here! They're coming for us!"

"What?!" Bucky's wide eyes flew up from the notebook he'd been reviewing. Between Steve and the journals, they'd had some success lately keeping Barnes' mind preoccupied with pleasanter memories; but no memory could hope to distract him from Rogers' unprecedented announcement that they were no longer alone in the bunker. "How is that possible?"

"Steve, are you sure?" Sam likewise questioned as the three of them made a dash for the weapons stores.

"I'm positive!" the good Captain insisted urgently. "We've had this place sealed up tight ever since we arrived, and now there's airflow in places that could only be if the main entrance was opened."

"What if someone saw the quinjet from the air?" Falcon suggested. "We never did get it hidden all that well, except it should be covered in snow by now."

But Bucky snapped, "It doesn't matter how they found us! They're here now, so all that matters is who 'they' are. No one outside of Hydra should even know this place exists."

"The task force might have read something about it in the Hydra files Natasha made public – or maybe Tony did." Personally, Steve would bet all his bullets that Stark alone could more quickly decipher that data than a whole team of technicians working for Ross.

As there was no time for official suits, the trio grabbed their weapons and took up defensive positions guarding a hallway which the intruders would have to use in order to reach them. Rogers stood furthest ahead with his shield, while Barnes and Wilson waited behind him with guns at the ready.

Still half-expecting Iron Man to materialize out of the murky darkness, Steve whispered, "Unless they start firing first, let's wait and see who it is. If we are about to get caught, I don't want to make things even worse for us."

"I'm not sure that's possible now, Cap," Sam grimly observed, though he did agree with Steve's assessment of the situation. If Hydra was returning for their five frozen assassins, at least there wouldn't be any conflicted feelings about killing every single one of them – however many there might be.

Bucky leant forward, listening intently, and then held up a single finger to indicate that he could discern just one set of footsteps – which only added to their collective confusion. Who could it possibly be?

One step at a time, a tall figure in a black trench coat gradually emerged from the shadows, and Steve reflexively lowered his shield.

It was Nick Fury.

Him, of all people! But how?

Rogers stepped into the open hallway, offering himself up to Fury's limited visibility.

"Nick?"

"So there you are! Somehow I'm not surprised." The former Director of SHIELD took a few steps closer and then stopped, resting his hands on his hips. No doubt he was armed, yet nothing about his posture suggested that he had come here for a fight.

Steve stole a glance behind him, noting that both his companions now wore matching expressions of shock and amazement on their faces. And while Bucky didn't question how one of his last targets was still alive, he was still clearly on-edge about the Director's intentions. It was understandable, all things considered.

"At ease, Soldier," Fury addressed him directly. "No hard feelings about the last time we met."

That reassurance was sufficient for Rogers, who motioned for the other two fugitives to officially lower their weapons and join him in this odd "truce," of sorts.

Nick went on, "You boys have caused quite a panic out there in the free world, Captain. Do you have any idea how ridiculous airport security has been since the three of you disappeared?"

Sam just scoffed. "Did they forget we've already got a jet of our own?"

"Panic and intelligence generally don't mix well," Fury acknowledged. "But I've built up a pretty large intelligence network on this side of the Atlantic over the past two years. Barnes probably knows that better than you do, Rogers, and we've been looking for this place for a long time. The rumor of five more Winter Soldiers waiting in the wings for Hydra was too critical to ignore once we learned of it. Just one of you was bad enough." Nick's lone eye looked at Bucky as he finished speaking; for him, it was almost a joke.

"We already took care of them." Steve sounded very much like a soldier reporting to his commanding officer, a thought that seemed to amuse the Director greatly.

"I'm sure you did. So now, unless you'd rather stay in this depressing place – how would you three like to join me in the club of the presumed dead? It's a great place to be when the rest of the world is out to get you."

"The 'presumed vanished' would suit me just fine," Rogers chuckled. "Bucky and I have already done the whole 'presumed dead' thing. And yeah, we'll go with you – as long as it gets us away from the world's most depressing sleepover."

Fury raised an eyebrow at that and again looked in Barnes' direction. "I'm kind of impressed you've been able to sleep here at all."

"Some of us have more than others," was all Steve would divulge with a weary sigh. Bucky really did look exhausted now, ghostly pale and with dark, dark circles under his bloodshot eyes. It would be so good for him to finally get out of here!

They all stayed in the bunker a couple more days to help the Director gather as much useful information as possible. Then, for good measure and with no small amount of personal satisfaction, they blew up Hydra's stronghold from the inside; Bucky in particular derived a great deal of pleasure from the act. It was time to leave this wretched place behind him once and for all! The Winter Soldier still wasn't dead, but at least his birthplace had been reduced to nothing more than another memory in the notebooks.

There was just enough fuel left in the quinjet for them to again travel the width of Russia and follow Fury's helicopter back to his hideout in the northernmost fjords of Norway. Fortunately, the Director's new base of operations was just as remote and secure as the Siberian bunker, but decidedly less stressful for recovering super-assassins. When asked about his choice of location, Nick confessed to hoping that Thor might revisit one of his favorite haunts of old the next time he returned to earth.

Fury's generous offer of hospitality extended indefinitely, for however long his visitors required sanctuary from the outside world; and they all knew that might be a long while, indeed. Of course, extenuating circumstances might someday arise that would warrant Captain America's return to battle, but they would still need to exercise great caution and discretion before again interfering in world affairs. And only if things became really, truly desperate would the Winter Soldier publicly fight alongside him.

In the meantime, at least the three friends had each other.

Two weeks later, after the runaways were all comfortably settled in their new surroundings, Natasha Romanoff arrived in Norway unexpectedly for a quick visit. She had located Fury and been in regular contact with him since the fiasco in Berlin, but she'd known nothing about his latest guests; the secret, however, would be perfectly safe with her.

"I'm glad you boys found each other," she remarked, looking smug but smiling all the same.

Steve greeted his friend with a tight hug, delighted to see that she had maintained her liberty after helping them escape the task force. But his first question, loaded with concern, had nothing to do with her.

"How is Tony?"

Black Widow's expression sobered a little as she replied, "Stark was in full Avenger mode for a long time, trying to track you all down. He's calmed down a little since then, I think, but only time and distance will help heal his wounds. It's probably best you guys escaped, or else things would have gotten even worse between you and him. We might have had an all-out civil war on our hands."

"I'm glad it didn't come to that – at least, not to physically fighting each other." Captain America cringed at the thought. "This rift will be difficult enough to repair as it is. Have you talked to him recently?"

"No, I've been keeping my distance. He strongly suspects, but so far hasn't been able to prove, that I helped you escape in Berlin."

"Please help him if you can, Nat," Rogers entreated on Tony's behalf. "He needs a friend, but I don't think it can be me right now."

Natasha nodded empathetically. "I will. He's not an easy patient, especially now that Pepper's out of the picture, but I promise I'll do my best to look out for him. Even Iron Man needs someone to watch his back every now and then."

Steve's blue eyes shone with gratitude. "Thank you. I don't expect you to tell him this, but just know that if he or any of the other Avengers ever need us…we'll be there."

Author's End Note: And this is where I end it, hopefully on a note similar to the movie. Except that Bucky's beautiful arm survives, and Steve still has the shield. And best of all – there's no cryofreeze technology in Fury's hideout, so Bucky and Steve will now be forced to spend more quality time together! Goodness knows they could both use it. Thanks a bunch for reading, and I'd love to hear your thoughts!