Closure

- - - - -

"If you don't hold still, I'm gonna poke your eyes out. Do you want that?"

"I can't help it, the water is too cold."

With a groan, Ana bent her torso and reached forward to grab the faucet. She switched the cool water off and turned the hot water on. Bucky let out a relaxed sigh when he felt the water grow warm and sunk further into the bath. His hair was all over the place covered in bubbly shampoo. It matched Ana's hands since she offered to help him get ready for bed.

After the mess in Siberia, the three wounded and crestfallen individuals were surprised to run into T'Challa. He apologised for his behaviour, wanting to repay for his actions by taking them back to his home so they could receive the best and safest care. They knew now that they would be branded as American fugitives and wouldn't be able to show their faces to the public. The King's offer was well needed and each one of them appreciated his help.

It had been two days so far. Two days since they laid low in Wakanda. Two days since JSOC put out a warrant for their arrests. It was going to be a long time until Ana and Steve could go home. And probably an even longer time for Bucky to be let off from his actions due to them not being made by his own will.

As he felt her fingers glide up and down the back of his head, Bucky let himself close his eyes and breathe out deeply. Ana smiled.

"I really want to cut your hair. It'd be easier to handle."

"Don't touch the hair." He said, chuckling.

"Pass me the shower head." Ana placed her hand in front of Bucky and waited for him to give it to her. He rinsed the shampoo off her hands before giving it to her.

"Thanks, by the way."

Ana turned the water off and removed the dry white towel from her shoulder, dropping it across the base of his neck with the ends curled on his collar bones. She gently traced the sharp but also blunt edge of the remains of his metal arm.

"No problem. Gives me something to do other than worry." She responded, standing up and turning her back to Bucky so he could get dressed and put on his pants. She would later help with the shirt.

"Worry?"

"Yeah. First, I got a bounty on my head." She let out a light scoff. "That's fun. Second, you're going back into cryo. Which I know is what you want, but it doesn't mean it will suck any less. Steve and I... we just got you back."

Weight lowered her shoulder and Ana dropped her head. Bucky rubbed her back, helping with the tenseness in her muscles.

"So did I. I can't trust my mind. It's like a weapon and the trigger words are the ammo. I've caused enough damage to last a hundred lifetimes. And I'm worried if I don't do this, then at any time and any place, I'll go off again."

He turned her around to face him and he hooked a finger under her chin, lifting her eyes so they looked into his. They were beginning to turn red from the struggle of keeping the tears at bay. Bucky cupped his one hand at her cheek and caressed the skin under her eyes with his thumb.

"And I will never forgive myself if I hurt you."

It was barely above a whisper but she heard it loud and clear. Ana leaned into his touch and nodded, showing him that she understood.

"I know." She then smiled, "But Steve's gonna be jealous."

Bucky threw back his head and let out a laugh that sounded so good to Ana's ears. She joined him and was pulled against his chest. He lifted her jaw and pressed down hard on her lips, searing them with passion. She tilted her head and deepened it, hearing him let out a quiet moan.

"Too bad I have to go through some tests in a few hours. Otherwise I'd spend all night with you."

"Yeah. Too bad."

- - -

Ana smiled at the familiar view, wrapping her arms around herself and sighing. The Wakandan jungle was quite the picture. She adored the massive statue of the sacred panther based on the highest hill. It was as if it was looking over the entire city, protecting it. Her body was still healing from the damage, but at least she could stand upright without having to experience pain.

She hadn't seen Bucky all day and knew he had to be prepping for his cryostasis. Steve and Ana had breakfast together and spent most of the morning talking, then he left to go tend to Bucky while she wandered around the facility they were in.

"I remember the first time you came to my home." T'Challa started, joining her at the window. He flashed her a smile as she looked up at him, "You kept on asking me questions about my culture, and language. You were so curious."

"How could I not?" Ana smiled, "Wakanda is rich in history, especially the legend of the Black Panther. And the White Gorilla, Lion and Crocodile beliefs." She named.

A scientists walked by and nodded his head to his King, "Your highness. The procedure is ready." He reported. T'Challa bowed his head in acknowledgement and Ana bit her lip.

"Your friends are waiting for you in the main lab." T'Challa said, clasping his hands behind his straightened back and tilting his head toward the white double doors across from them.

At the mention of Steve and Bucky, Ana frowned and dropped her head. "He's going into cryo. I don't know the next time we'll see each other again. It could be months, years, decades. This is something no-one has the answer to."

"I assure you, my people will find a cure to his mind." T'Challa replied, "Even rebuild a stronger prosthetic arm made of Vibranium."

"And I have no doubt about it, T'Challa." Ana exhaled.

"Come." T'Challa took her hand in his and tugged her forward. He smiled when she composed herself, "It will be over soon."

They walked into the lab and Steve turned his head from his position in front of Bucky. He smiled at Ana when she approached him, T'Challa choosing to speak with one of the lab assistants, and wrapped his arms around her. Bucky was sitting on the metal table, dressed in white as he watched her pull back and glance at him.

"Hey." She smiled, ignoring the pounding of her heart.

"Hi." Bucky replied, making a motion with his head for her to come closer. She stepped closer, resting her hands on his leg as he pressed a kiss to the side of her head.

"You sure about this?" Steve asked.

Bucky shrugged. "I can't trust my own mind," His eyes flicked from Steve to Ana, before lowering them slightly. "So, until they figure out a way to get this stuff out of my head, I think going back under is the best thing. For everybody."

Ana licked her lips, listening to his words. He didn't want to hurt anyone else. She understood that. If she was in his position, she would be doing what he was without a second thought. It just hurt her knowing he wouldn't be with her for a while because she just got him back.

He pulled her back slightly to get one last good look at her. He brushed the loose hair from her braid out of her eyes, and placed his hand on her cheek. She leaned into his palm, enjoying his touch on her skin.

"I'll be right here the second you get out, Buck."

Bucky let out a small chuckle, "I know and I adore you for that."

Steve had a permanent smile on his face at the sight of them. And when Bucky shot him a look, he put his hands up with a small laugh and turned around.

Bucky smiled down at Ana before he pulled her in for a last kiss. She closed her eyes and returned it, holding onto his jaw as they deepened the kiss. And when they pulled away, Ana couldn't help but let a tear fall.

She quickly wiped it and breathed out a chuckle, "Alright soldier, time to sleep."

"I'll be dreaming about you." He whispered into her ear.

Ana blushed in her place when he gave her a wink. The doctors then helped him into the cryo chamber and she shook her head, mumbling about how smooth he was.

Steve wrapped his arm around Ana and she leaned into him as they both watched Bucky succumb to the icy gas. He had a small smile on his face just before he closed his eyes.

"You gonna be okay?" Ana asked Steve as they had to exit the lab.

"I think so," He said, exhaling a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "What about you?"

Ana nodded, "Yeah," She said freely, putting on a smile. "I'll be fine."

Steve nodded, before crushing her into his chest. Ana rested her cheek on his shoulder and sighed, "I'm gonna miss you, Cap."

"Are you sure you're alright about going off on your own? I understand it's to protect someone close to you, but... I'd really like it if you came with me. With the others." Steve had asked her when they arrived at Wakanda about her plans. She told him, without name dropping Peter, that she couldn't go on the run with all the governments of the world trying to hunt her down. It wasn't what she wanted.

"I know. But I have to." Ana frowned.

Steve rubbed her shoulders and nodded. "I'm going to miss you. And whenever you need me, you know how to get a hold of me."

Ana patted her jacket pockets, feeling the mobile inside. "Yes I do."

They gave each other one last smile before Ana departed. Steve watched her leave, the doors closing behind her. T'Challa had set her up with a small aircraft to fly her wherever she wanted to go. The King joined Steve and he gave him a nod,

"She will be fine, Captain."

"I know. I just got a bad feeling."

The strong winds racked the aircraft soaring over the Indian Ocean. There was a storm coming. Lightning was up ahead. And the lone pilot was in a bit of a predicament. Ana Michaels decided before she took off that she would go to China. But now she was feeling more like Brazil or Cuba, which was on the other side of the world. Somewhere hot and full of people she could hide in. Somewhere closer to home.

The jet was in stealth mode and Ana kicked herself because she didn't know how to turn it off. It was Wakandan tech, something she didn't know how to operate. But she could still fly. She was approaching a storm and in about thirty minutes she would be just on top of the India-Nepal border. Then right over the Himalayas.

She sat back in the pilot seat, grabbing her tablet. She sent Peter and May an encrypted email — explaining her reason for absence — so that nobody could trace her IP address and know it was her. JSOC would be on top of everything; phone calls, emails, social media. The lot.

She let the clear tablet slide down her thighs and into her bag. She zipped it up and dropped it onto the floor with a clank. She flipped the switch that wasn't lighting up, turning on the auto pilot. Getting up, Ana stretched her legs and arms.

Just when she reached down to touch her toes, the aircraft shook. Ana caught her balance and gripped the bars on the ceiling with a surprised shout. She climbed forward back to the controls, cringing at the alarms going off.

She checked her radar, seeing the red dot of her jet blink as it travelled closer to the Nepal border. There were mountains underneath her. No clear landing site. The altimeter read she was loosing altitude. She checked the comms and only static emitted from the speakers. A lightning bolt had fried the radio and instruments which meant no calling for help.

If her old friend Carol could see her now.

Joining SHIELD meant needing to excel at every skill needed in a fight. Including flying an aircraft. Ana visited an Air Force Base close to the SHIELD base she trained at to get a real feel of flying. There she met a young pilot about the same age as herself, Carol Danvers. Eight months of working together and showing Ana the ropes, Carol proudly branded her new friend as a skilled pilot.

But at this moment in time, Ana really wished she practised more often. Shaking her head, she determinedly strapped on her belt and gripped the control wheel. The weather radar to her right warned her of the storm growing stronger with blaring signals. She pulled up, manoeuvring the wheel so that she didn't fly right into the eye of the storm.

She glared at the bolts of lighting coming closer. One in particular hit her jet, causing the left turbine to stop working. She felt like screaming mayday! mayday! but the radios were down. She switched it back to auto pilot and jumped out of the seat.

"Parachuting in the middle of a storm? Only you, Ana." She muttered to herself, strapping on the chutes. She grabbed her bag filled with necessities and tied the straps around her lower waist.

Her fingers shook as she pulled down the lever for the rear door to open up. The second it did, she was hit by the rain and snow. She pulled up her hood and closed her eyes, and jumped.

She didn't scream as she dropped out of the sky. It was freezing, that was for sure. She should have worn more layers but her mind was still on her team. She stayed in her horizontal position, carefully bringing her wrist into view so she could check where in the sky she was. She was dropping fast, the storm travelling away behind her.

It was time to pull out the chute and thankfully it worked. Heavy clouds were all around her, making it difficult to pinpoint her location. She just used the winds to guide her down in a slow spiral. The ground was coming into view and she didn't like what she saw.

Ana was heading in a dangerous place. The rivers in-between two snowy mountains of the Himalayas rushed their waters, the currents were too strong. And wolves. She could see a whole pack of them running down the mountain and away from the lightning.

Ana pulled a face as she neared the bunch of evergreen trees.

"Nice one, Ana."

- - - - -

Hello beautiful readers! This will indefinitely lead Ana into the Doctor Strange phase of the Marvel Universe since in the movie Kamar-Taj is in Kathmandu, Nepal instead of Tibet. It will be set a bit earlier than the movie so I am very excited to write it up. I hope you liked this one and please tell me what you thought, especially with the tiny little Captain Marvel reference. ;)

Q- Where in the world would you like to travel to? I would so go to Greece!