Here we go, starting off the new year hitting all my goals of updating. Saving the best for last :)

By now, Tony had a fifth sense to danger…it also helped that JARVIS was monitoring the building since the whole Pierce fiasco. But even JARVIS had trouble tracking the so-called Winter Soldier.

But with years of being Iron Man, his reflexes were top-notch and his suit was never out of reach.

This meant he had his right-hand repulsor ready when the doors slide open, and when he looked to the intruder, it wasn't who he was expecting…well it was, but the man himself wasn't what he was expecting.

James Barnes had seen better days but he also knew the man had been on the run for months. He didn't try to hold back his grimace, the smell was to be expected.

"You should come back in the morning if you're looking for your wife. Or better yet, why don't you stay so we can stop looking for you and I can go home?"

Like, he really wanted to go home. Pepper was waiting for him and he was just so tired but if he did go home, the nightmares would follow him and he couldn't do that to the woman he loved. He had made a promise to Pepper though, the moment they found James Barnes, he would come home and if he wasn't found by the end of the month, he would come home and leave it to the rest of the Avengers. As she had kindly told him, this wasn't his problem.

Barnes looked around the lab, likely taking in every escape route and the various weapons, before his eyes settled on familiar brown.

"Howard?"

"Nope, sorry to disappoint. Tony Stark."

James knew who this man was but it was a jolt to see how similar he was to his father, the man he had known during the war, the man he had killed.

He pushed those thoughts away. Now wasn't the time for them.

He was taking a chance but he hoped he was right. He had seen Rynan around this man and had read about his heroism in the papers. He could help.

He took a step forward and Tony was quick to raise his arm, "Ah, it'd be best not to come any closer. Last time we met, you tried to kill me."

"Not kill."

Tony let out a bark of a laugh, "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

His eyes shifted over the lab, taking in the disaster that had become Tony's workplace. This was the only man that could help him.

No one moved, a standoff Tony was cautious to break. He had only been half-joking before. He wasn't going to take Potter's word that this man was stable. Last time, he had done some serious bodily damage even with the protection of his suit.

"Sir, I ran a diagnostic scan on Mr. Barnes. He seems to be suffering from partial plate dislocation as well as misalignment in his left arm. My diagnostic has concluded that Mr. Barnes is experiencing severe peripheral neuropathy located laterally above the aforementioned dislocation. There also seems to be an acute abrasion in the muscles between his scapula and acromion," JARVIS spoke clinically.

James startled, hand moving to the knife in his belt when he heard the strange voice.

"English, J," Tony said as he removed his repulsor and circled around his lab table.

"His shoulder has been improperly set and the circuitry in his arm is frying his nerves."

Tony dismissed the other's shock, rolling his eyes at the long-suffering sigh JARVIS exhaled at having to re-explain himself, focusing on the mentioned arm and the glint of metal peeking out at his wrist.

"Sit down at that desk," he demanded as he pointed over to the desk nearest his workstation as he gathered his tools, sprouting off orders to JARVIS. James followed the order and sat stiffly in the chair. He wasn't as tense as he could be, the piece of furniture vastly different to the old medical chair and metal straps that had usually accompanied having his arm repaired.

"Take off your jacket and shirt, I need to see your arm if I'm going to fix it."

Tony tried to prepare himself for what would be under the fabric, he really did. I mean, he has a hole in his chest with the arc reactor being the only thing keeping metal shrapnel from entering his heart, how bad could a metal arm be?

As the jacket was shrugged off and the shirt pulled over his head – muscles rippling – for once, Tony didn't have a sarcastic comment, a rare moment he was struck speechless as he took in the body in front of him. Expressionless eyes staring straight ahead, not even acknowledging the horrific sight that was his body.

It was patchy work at best, clearly decades old but it was functional and that was probably all that mattered to HYDRA. It was advanced for its' time – don't get him wrong – but the patient's comfort had clearly been an afterthought. He would have to tread carefully in his assessment and be careful of where he touched the man. With everything he knew of the man, the last thing he wanted to do was accidentally set him off.

If Potter had seen this, what other horrors had they seen together? He was beginning to understand her desperation a little better now with something so tangible in front of him, see what Potter had been trying to explain to him this entire time. James Barnes was still in there and he owed it to his godmother and father to try and save their old friend. And to be honest, he also owed it to himself for all those weeks he spent in that cave, praying for someone to find him. This man had spent decades praying for someone to save him and Tony wouldn't let that go.

So he'd fix up his arm – and send him through a psych evaluation with JARVIS before releasing him to the public.

His patient wasn't a talkative one but Tony had always been a more loquacious person so he filled the silence with his endless chatter as JARVIS ran what scans he could.

"Potter was in here right after you paid her a nightly visit – I'm not one to pry into personal business," that was a lie and if JARVIS could roll his eyes, he would, "But I think you two need to talk. I don't know your past together but I can see that you both care for each other. You've fought to get back to one another and you can't let HYDRA win. It could be months or years until we can run them from every cave they've hidden in. We aren't promised tomorrow and we should tell those we love how we feel."

He may be speaking to Barnes but Tony knew he was talking about himself as well. When he had gone through that portal into space, the only thing he had wanted to hear was Pepper's voice so he could tell her how much he loved her, that everything good about him came from her. And when the call never connected and he took his last breath, he was filled with regret at all he had left unsaid, that Pepper didn't realize how much of an impact she had on him.

Tony leaned back in his swivelly chair, screwdriver held limply in his hand as his eyes evaluated his current work.

"You can't take down HYDRA by yourself and we could use someone like you on our team."

Barnes says nothing, staring ahead into nothing so Tony returns to his work, carefully removing the first of many plates.

It is hours later and Tony continues his one-sided conversations to fill the silence. James Barnes was not one for conversation or words. He would grunt or move his head when asked about fit and feel. If an answer required more than that, he kept it brief and to the point.

Even he didn't dare, with all his balls, to ask any further on his relationship with Potter. He wasn't sure his reflexes were fast enough to save him if something he said triggered a memory that might set him off.

With a final assessment, Barnes declaring the arm functional, Tony sent him off in the world, JARVIS already creating the blueprint of a new arm he had been designing in his head while he had been fixing the outdated one. He had the measurements needed, now came the R&D portion for a future project.

He had a feeling this wouldn't be the last time he saw James Barnes.

Leaving the lab, James knew that Stark was right: working together with the Avengers would be advantageous for both parties. He knows he can't keep up this pace anymore, he was getting too injured and HYDRA had been on his tail within days or hours. Having a team like the Avengers backing him up would keep them away and allow him a reprieve to form better plans.

Bits and pieces of his memories were constantly flashing through his mind and he knew he had tried to do this alone once before. Back then, there was no one he could trust to help who could be an actual threat to HYDRA but now there was a chance. Tony Stark was one of the most, if not the most, dangerous person in the world.

Natasha Romanoff was another hero – spy? – someone he knew could get the job done no matter the cost. The phantom touch of a time long lost ghosted over his shoulders as he shoved those thoughts away.

That left Steve. His Stevie, who he had mourned and raged at losing, threatened and almost killed in his brainwashing, hated and loved as his mind pieced itself back together. Steve Rogers or Captain America as the world knew him. His support was guaranteed, of that James was certain. They had proved long ago how far they were willing to go for each other.

Maybe with this team, with the Avengers, they could take down HYDRA once and for all, expose them from the shadows. He refused to hope, to dream of a time when this could all be over. Because once it was over, what did the world need with a brainwashed supersoldier? How long would it be before the world turned on him and decided he was too much of a risk? Steve and Rynan would fight for him and he couldn't let them give up their lives for him. What future did he have beyond HYDRA?

Midnight hair tickled his nose as he felt a blanket draped over his shoulders, warm breath against his ear as a weight settled next to him.

A heavy silence settled, the anticipation of what was to come too thick to break. Instead, flesh found flesh and gripped tight in a silent promise, a promise both knew was empty but given all the same.

James paused, weariness settling in his bones as the memory played its self out.

He didn't care what the world thought, he cared very little about what happened to the world but the people he loved and cared about did. He had found the two most selfless, self-sacrificing, reckless people in the world. So he would get through this for them and the future they deserved.

Deciding to move things along, Tony puts into motion a plan for the old friends to meet, giving them time to reconnect.

As he watched them stand more than five metres apart, even he wasn't insensitive enough to make a snide comment about the tears he had seen in Captain America's eyes. So he left them in the lab to bury more than seventy long missed years between them.

The closing of the lab doors felt suffocating as it left the two alone with nothing and no one to separate them now.

James stood awkwardly, not knowing how to act. He had mourned twice for his best friend only to find him alive and not aged a day. But he was also ashamed, ashamed at all that he had done, those he had killed that had been their friends. How could Steve ever forgive him when he couldn't even forgive himself?

But that was the thing about Steve, what had made him the only candidate for the Super Soldier program: he was a good man.

James never had to worry about Steve hating him because it was impossible. As he once said, "I'm with you till the end of the line." It wasn't the end of the line yet.

He could see Steve visibly swallow as he choked back the hitch in his voice, "Buck?"

And Steve knew it was his friend in there, could tell by the twinkle that appeared in his eyes at the old nickname, the upward pull of the right side of his lip, the little things that only they knew about each other. And when he took that step forward and he didn't flinch or pull away, Steve quickly closed the distance, pulling his friend – his brother – into his embrace, fists clenching as they pulled James closer, noting every physical and mental difference between this Bucky and the one he remembered. But when those arms hesitantly rose to return the embrace, equally as strong, those differences drifted away as they buried their faces in each other's necks, letting seven decades of pent up hurt out.

Rynan was right. Bucky was still in there, fighting and clawing his way out of the Winter Soldier.

Tony had JARVIS monitor the two to ensure there was no repeat of their previous meeting and also to alert him of a reasonable time for him to return. During their little reunion, he sought out the resident spymaster. If they were going after HYDRA, they needed the team back together for this one.

Natasha only raised an eyebrow as Tony approached where she was reading a paperback with the afternoon sun beating down her neck. She made a lovely sight, one wouldn't guess she was an assassin who just saved the world only weeks ago. Taking the empty seat across from her, he sucked air between his teeth as he saw the butterfly bandages on her cheek, evidence of the recent exposure of HYDRA.

Waving down the nearest waitress, he made himself comfortable, "Ah yes, I'll have a scotch – no, wait…make that two." He had a feeling he was going to need all the alcohol he could get before heading back to his lab.

He tried to smile but it came out more like a grimace. No matter, he'd be sure to leave a generous tip.

They sit in silence as Natasha returns to her reading and Tony stares at her expectantly, taking noisy sips of his beverage.

After listening to the obnoxious noise five more times, Natasha finally raised her eyes and slowly marked her page in her book.

"Was there something you wanted to talk about, Stark?"

"Huh, what? Are you talking to me?" he makes a show of looking around before jutting his arms out to free them up to cross them over his chest. "I'm getting the team back together, plus or minus a few."

That was news to her. It was only four days ago that Pierce was revealed as HYDRA as the organization was exposed to the rest of the world. They knew there were many in SHIELD that didn't go down with HYDRA and there were inquires into who and where taking place as Agent Hill took over day to day operations while Fury recovered from the attack.

She was actually surprised Stark was still in DC and not back in New York with Pepper. After his recent ordeals, he needed somewhere familiar. It's for that very same reason Clint returned home to spend time with his family on the farm.

"A Mr. Barnes stopped by and now we have a new teammate. Not saying he's sunshine daisy but he's a hard hitter and with Shakespear gone, we need all the heavy hitters we can get."

She didn't let the surprise show on her face but she hadn't held out hope of James returning willingly to them. She knew him, or at least a version of him.

"So how bout we put down the trashy novel and crash a reunion?"

This wasn't going to go the way he was expecting but Natasha knew she had to be there to mediate if he did end up running his mouth and digging himself a hole he couldn't crawl out of. With a long-suffering sigh, she uncrossed her legs and stood from the table, stashing her book in her bag.

"I hope you called Potter."

Throwing a hundred on the table, Tony stood to follow, "That's part two of my plan."

The two walked in unannounced to find the two supersoldiers seating at one of the desks with an extra chair pulled over.

James stood quickly when he heard the oncoming footsteps, breath caught in his chest as he caught sight of Stark's companion. His eyes flicker and lips pursed for all of half a second before his face became stoic covering his shame.

"Stark," Steve started, sending worried glances to his friend as he stood up.

"Cap," Tony acknowledged, "I'm bringing the team back together. One last mission to save the world…again."

Tony stepped forward, pulling out his phone as he multitasked, sending out messages to Banner and Potter while running the schematics of the tactile suit he was designing for Steve and seeing what modification would need to be done to tailor it to Barnes.

Seeing Tony walk away from the group with no introductions, Steve took it upon himself, "I'm sure you already know, but this is Bucky. Bucky, this is –."

Natasha smiled a toothless smile, with ice in her eyes. "Natasha," was all she offered, eyes searching his but all she received as a slight nod of acknowledgment before Stark brought their attention to his holo display.

"Yay, we're all friends now," he mocked dryly with a roll of his eyes, "On to actual important matters: HYDRA."

The three moved closer, all having their arms crossed and feet shoulders width apart as they studied the display brought up.

"We know not every HYDRA agent went down with the ship the other day and Pierce is still out there. He wouldn't have left unless he still had someone he could feed orders to. Which brings us to you," he directed to James. "You were with them, you have names."

James walked forward stiffly, pulling up SHIELD files without prompting, cycling through departments and names, swiping them onto another holo screen without hesitation.

Tony leaned back, impressed at how adaptable the man seemed to be but then again, he was probably trained on every new piece of technology to better complete his missions. It was a morbid thought but one that only benefitted them now.

Natasha recognized many of the selected names as members of elite task forces and intelligence teams. If they grabbed them, it would be a spiderweb trickling down, connecting name after name…she could already see how deep this went, the members who worked frequently together for obvious reasons now.

This was good. In one week, they had gotten further than the last five years.

"This team answered directly to Pierce. It's the team Rynan was paired with when she went on missions for him." Natasha knew this only because Rynan had talked about the men after every mission, how uneasy they made her. It was only in hindsight that she realized why.

That grabbed James' attention, "Rynan knows him?" It was said quietly but they could all hear the danger in his voice.

Natasha shifted, hands dropping casually to her hips as she inconspicuously fingered her weapon, wondering how the man would react to the next revelation.

"Alexander Pierce befriended Rynan after their initial meeting. She went on a few missions for him under the assumption it was to find you," it was a pointed jab, one he knew he somehow deserved. "If we dig deeper, I imagine the two assassination attempts can be traced back to him as well."

His metal hand found the back of a nearby chair which was promptly crushed as he pushed his anger down. They had endangered Rynan! She had wadded into a war for him and had been caught in the crossfire. He could only imagine what the betrayal must've felt like. That was why he was here, to make things right.

Natasha tilted her head, approving of the response. She had grown to care for Rynan Potter and she would do everything to protect her, even from someone she didn't think she needed protection from.

They exited the lab hours later with a clear plan and target. For the time being, Barnes and Rogers would stay with Stark to keep his appearance quiet. The last thing they needed was HYDRA getting the drop on them before they had a chance to gather the team together.

Trailing behind the two supersoldiers, Natasha wondered if people like them could truly find happiness, and if there was a chance, she would fight to make it happen.

Her and Stark had a reunion to plan.

Yes, I know I keep promising the reunion...a real one! Next chapter for sure. It's full of all that fluffy, lovely, cheesy stuff some of you like. Hopefully, I can have it out next week. I just need to hash out a few more scenes and edit it.

Cheers! And thanks for sticking with me!