The club was loud and the lights were beginning to hurt her eyes. For some reason, the club owner thought it would be cute to make the lights pulse along to the rhythm of the so-called music blasting from the speakers high overhead. YN was just glad that her shift was almost up. She shot a glance down the bar and saw Nat leaning over to flirt with some men who were more interested in gawking at her cleavage than listening to a word she said. YN shook her head in annoyance, but she knew that was the kind of behavior that got them the most tips, and right now they could use all the money they could get.

Taking a deep breath, she plastered a come-hither smile on her face and sauntered up to the bar to take another round of drink orders. Leaning over as Nat had done, she felt her shirt slide down her chest and mentally cursed having to debase herself like this just so she could afford a roof over her head and food on the table. It could be worse, though, she thought. At least she and Nat weren't out on a street corner right now, although most of the men in the club treated them like prostitutes anyway.

She'd just finished popping the tops on a round of beers when she noticed a man in the crowd who seemed out of place. This club catered to the hipster scene – men in skinny jeans with ankle boots and denim jackets over graphic tees or button down flannels – so when she saw a man in relaxed fit black jeans and an dark army-issued jacket, she paid attention. He was tall, with long dark brown hair, and for some reason he looked familiar to her. It wasn't until he turned around and his piercing blue-grey eyes met hers that she realized who he was.

Taking a step back, she shot a glance toward Nat at the other end of the bar, but her attention was centered on another man that didn't seem like he belonged in this club, either. His face was hidden from view, but YN was sure she didn't know anyone with shaggy blond hair and a beard. Worried that they'd been found by the wrong people, she grabbed a cocktail peanut and lobbed it at Nat's head to get her attention. Their shift was up and the next round of bartenders were already taking orders, so YN nodded toward the employees' exit and hoped that Nat would follow her. Racing to her locker, she grabbed her coat and bag and was about to head out the door when Nat called out to stop her.

"YN, wait," Nat said as she reached out to stop her from leaving.

"Barnes is here with some other man," she told her friend. "I think they've found us."

"He's here with Steve," Nat said with a sigh. "I don't think he saw me. . ."

YN shook her head and interrupted her. "Barnes saw me. I don't know if he'll remember me from Germany – I'm definitely not dressed like a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent right now. Why are they here?"

"I don't know," Nat said, pursing her lips, "but they're wanted fugitives just like us."

"Unless they've switched sides and came here to turn us in."

"Let's hear what they have to say and then if we need to, we can fight our way out," Nat suggested. "Or don't you think we're a match for a couple super soldiers?"

The door to the employees' lounge opened and YN realized that the choice had already been made for her as she saw Steve and his friend walk in. Planting her feet, she balled her fists at her side and waited for the fight she was terrified would ensue.

"We just want to to talk," Steve said, raising both of his hands in surrender when he saw YN's defensive stance.

"How did you know where we were?" Nat asked, trying to look at ease, but YN could see the tension in her shoulders as she also prepared for a potential fight.

"It wasn't easy, but eventually Fury told us where you were," Steve said, trying to keep his voice calm and level so he wouldn't spook them. "He's been keeping an eye on you two, just in case Ross decided to come after you."

"So, you're not working with Ross?" YN asked. "How can we be sure we can trust you?"

Steve cocked a brow and gave them a smirk. "Do I look like I'm still a part of any government agency? Bucky and I are both just trying to lay low until Tony can get some amendments made to the Sokovia Accords."

YN's whole demeanor changed in an instant. "You've spoken to Tony? How is he? How's Rhodey?"

Nat exhaled loudly and shook her head. "I think you're forgetting that Tony isn't on our side, YN."

"C'mon, Nat," YN pleaded. "It's Tony, and if Steve says he's trying to fix things, then maybe. . ."

"I seem to recall the last words that man said to you were 'Go to hell,'" Nat reminded her.

"Ouch," Bucky said with a pained look.

YN's glare turned from Nat to Bucky in an instant. "Who asked your opinion?"

"Enough," Steve said, pulling out his Captain voice. "We didn't come here to start another war. Tony needs our help and he asked me to bring you two in specifically."

Nat's eyes narrowed as she studied Steve for signs of deceit. "Why now, and why us?"

Steve pursed his lips and gave YN a long look. "Tony didn't really say, but he did tell me that it was imperative that I bring YN back."

Hope again swelled within her, but she tamped it down as she reminded herself that he and Pepper were back together. "What if we don't want to go back?"

"Then he told me to tell you that Mordo has gone rogue," Steve offered with a shrug. "Don't know what that means, but he thought it might mean something to you."

YN took a step back as her heart began to race. Mordo was a name from her past – a past she'd worked so hard to forget, but now it looked like her carefully guarded secrets would soon come to light. "We can't talk about this here."

YN turned to walk out the door, so she missed the looks of confusion the rest of the group shared with one another. They had no idea who Mordo was, but just the mention of his name had caused a look of fear to come over YN, and that was enough reason to for them to worry.

Nat hung back with Steve and Bucky, letting YN have a few moments to herself as they walked back to their apartment. She'd known that YN had secrets she didn't want to share, and Nat had always respected her privacy enough not to go snooping. She'd trusted Fury when he'd vouched for her years ago, and she'd learned to trust YN as their working relationship evolved into friendship. She'd always wondered if YN would ever confide her secrets to her, but she'd never pushed. Now she thought that maybe she should have.

YN could feel three sets of eyes boring into her back as she hurried along the busy streets. She'd removed herself from the world of magic a long time ago, and she'd hoped that she'd never have to go back again. Learning that her mentor had turned broke her heart, but it also worried her – he was one of the most formidable men she knew, and in his hands, the magic could become deadly for anyone who tried to stop him.

Turning the key in the lock, she let herself into the tiny apartment and shrugged off her coat. She could hear the footsteps of the others behind her, but she still wasn't ready to face them yet. Heading to her shared room with Nat, she pulled some leggings from a drawer and grabbed a long tunic top from a hanger in the closet. Shimmying out of the tight-fitting clothes she'd worn to work, she quickly changed and headed to the bathroom to wash her face.

As she scrubbed the last remnants of the makeup off, she raised her head and met her own gaze in the mirror. The last few months on the run had taken its toll on both her and Nat, but the haggard look in her eyes hadn't been there a couple hours ago. This was the result of her past finally catching up to her. She heard the bedroom door open and glanced over to see Nat rummaging through the drawers for a change of clothes.

"I know you wanted some space, but I needed to get out of this spandex," she told her as she quickly pulled her shirt over her head.

"It's okay," YN told her as she dried her face and leaned against the door jam.

"You want to talk about this privately before you fill in the boys?" Nat asked once she'd changed her clothes and turned back around to face YN.

YN shook her head. "No, it'll be better to only have to go through this once." She raised her eyebrows and shrugged her shoulders. "At least for now. I'm sure if we head back to New York, I'll have to go over it all again."

Nat nodded and waited until YN moved toward the door before she followed her out. Steve and Bucky were sitting on either end of the threadbare couch they'd picked up at a flea market for a few bucks the first week they'd been in town. YN grabbed one of the folding chairs from the card table they used in lieu of a kitchen table and carried it over to set in front of the couch. Pulling her legs up to her chest, she braced her heels on the edge of the chair as she wrapped her arms around her shins and rested her chin on her knees. Nat grabbed the other chair and angled it so she could see both the guys and YN at the same time.

"It's a long story, so I'm just going to give you the highlights," she began. "When I was a kid, I fell in with the wrong crowd. I know, typical teenaged American sob story. Anyway, my parents decided that I needed to get away from my troublemaking friends, so they hired a tutor and sent me on a trip around the world. I guess they thought that a little culture shock was in order to set me back on the straight and narrow."

"Were your parents rich?" Nat asked, as she looked at YN in disbelief.

"Yeah," YN confirmed. "Buffy and Fitz came from what you would call 'old money,' and I guess I was the stereotypical rich kid who was bored with her pampered life. Anyway, my tutor, Millicent, decided to take me to Kathmandu. That's where I met Mordo." She took a deep breath and tried to figure out the best way to explain the next part. She looked at the faces staring back at her, patiently waiting for her to continue. "He saw something in me and decided to take me under his wing. He introduced me to the Ancient One who showed me a world that I could never have imagined existed. I sent Millicent back to the states with a message to my parents that I had decided to stay in Nepal. I'm sure they thought I'd joined a cult, but I didn't care – I just wanted to learn everything I could about magic."

"Magic?" Nat asked, interrupting her.

"Like what Loki can do?" Steve asked, trying to get a grasp on what she was saying.

"Not like Loki," YN said with a shake of her head. "It's hard to explain, but basically I was taught how to harness the dimensional energy to manipulate what we think of as reality. The Ancient One showed me how the Multiverse interconnects us all – I wish I could explain it better, but its one of those things you just have see to understand."

"Why did you leave?" Bucky asked, breaking his silence.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I was still just a kid, and it was a lot of responsibility. I'd only stayed because it seemed fun at the time, but I wanted to live a normal life again."

"This is what you consider normal?" Bucky asked as he looked around the dingy apartment.

A wry grin spread across YN's face. "I guess normal just isn't my thing."

Steve's eyes narrowed. "How did you end up with S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"Director Fury actually approached me himself," YN said with a look of disbelief on her face. "He'd heard rumors of Kamar-Taj and the Ancient One, and when my parents raised a fuss about me joining a cult in Nepal, he took notice. He wanted inside information, but I refused to talk about my time there. At that point, my parents had kicked me out again, and I was desperate to find somewhere to belong. He sent me to the Academy without pressing me any further, and I'd assumed that I'd left that part of my life behind me for good."

"So, this Mordo – how dangerous is he?" Nat asked.

YN looked up at the ceiling and took another deep breath. How to explain her mentor? "He's brilliant, and extremely talented in the world of magic. The Ancient One always said that his soul was rigid and unmovable – he only sees things in terms of black and white, and that's his biggest flaw. As long as he thought he was on the side of good, he'd be an asset, but something must have happened to make him see the use of magic in a different way. I don't what it was, but if the Ancient One has reached out to Tony, then things aren't looking too good right now. I just don't understand why she wouldn't have come to me directly."

"I don't know," Steve said. "But Tony wants us back in New York as soon as possible."

"How are we going to get there?" Nat asked. "I'm sure our photos are hanging up in every airport around the world."

"We have a way around that," Steve said with a smirk.

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Author's Note: Thank you for reading Part 2 of this story! I hope you enjoyed it! After seeing the Infinity War trailer I haven't been able to get Bearded!Steve out of my mind! That trailer also sparked the inspiration for this story once I saw Tony with Doctor Strange. I'd love to hear your theories on what you think is going to happen in this story! I look forward to your comments and please consider voting if you enjoyed this part!