It took Eira awhile to gain feeling in her limbs. Except for her hand as that seemed to be broken permanently; even her fingers were bent at angles still from when Valonkov crushed it. But as her feeling returned, she started to cough again. This time, she coughed up blood.

But with the weeks that passed, she was a mute. She'd walk through the facility with a guilty look on her face. She complied with everything easily after that.

They were back to the beginning where she had to get her blood drawn multiple times. She knew they were going to try and replicate her powers again; if they did, she would kill that person, too.

She hated her own thoughts. She hated Valonkov. She hated what they had done to her. She hated that they had dragged her down to Hell and made it so that her mind was Hell, too.

She hated everything except her Soldier. He had curious, thoughtful eyes directed at her all the time that she didn't think she'd ever see on him.

But things were changing with him. He started to gain more and more images the longer he was out of the cryo chamber. He remembered that he used to smile once...once. He wondered if that were ever possible for someone like him again.

One thing he did know was that he wouldn't get very far without his butterfly. She was a light that he needed to stay in. Although, she was concerning him with how lifeless she looked and then he got the most peculiar thought...he wanted to save her smile.

He just didn't quite know how he was going to do it until he did.

_____

Eira was back in her cell at night. He had asked softly if she'd speak to him again about what she remembered about him. But she never answered; still, he left the door cracked.

Then she surprised him.

She opened the door. She stood there, all fury and sadness. He pushed her shoulder gently in warning and pleaded for her to not do anything stupid, "Go back."

She ignored him before she stepped closer to him. She started to reach for his face which made him freeze. She froze, too, once she noticed he tensed and moved her hands more slowly. She placed her hands on the mask that was on his face and lifted it off.

"You are not their muzzled dog," she said softly with tears in her eyes. "And it kills me for you to stand out there like you are."

"Your name is James Buchanan Barnes. Some called you Bucky. I'd like to call you that if you decided I could," Eira stated with a couple of coughs. "But I don't think I'll last much longer and I'm sorry if I'll leave you alone..."

She thought about what would happen to Bucky if she left; they'd get the cryo chamber fixed much quicker. She thought about Tony and it broke her heart.

"I'm just sorry..." she cried.

She had tears fall down her face and Bucky slowly reached out with his flesh hand. He wiped one away with his thumb softly. He looked at it strangely as he had a vivid memory.

He remembered Steve and he was tiny. They were coming back from a funeral and he remembered what he told the tiny man. I'm with you 'til the end of the line.

He decided he wanted to be there for Eira. He reached out for her hand as he smiled softly, a bit of his old self regained, "Come on, butterfly."

She held onto his hand tightly as he stealthily moved her through the facility. They avoided cameras and other guards as Bucky snuck into the lab with her. He knew that if they were going to get anywhere, the chip in her neck had to be removed.

There was only one tired doctor as it was the middle of the night. Bucky placed a gun against his head, "Move and you die."

The doctor breathed heavily as he remained frozen. Bucky moved to stand in front of the man with Eira before he commanded, "You're going to remove the chip in her neck..."

"I...yes," the doctor said in a frightened tone. "But she'll have to be sedated."

"No," Bucky said.

"It's...very risky without sedation," the doctor said.

"Then you'll be careful," Bucky threatened with a glare and the doctor could only gulp with a nod.

______

Eira sat up straight on the metal, sterile table as the doctor was behind her on the other side. Bucky had a gun placed to his head as he worked.

He made an incision on her neck and she winced. She had to be very still for this but that was easy after all she'd been through. Who wasn't still was the doctor playing operation on her.

Once he grabbed the chip deep in her neck with a small set of pliers, his hands started to tremble. Bucky narrowed his eyes before he warned, "You hurt her and you get a bullet."

That only made the doctor tremble more. He started to pull the chip out very unsteadily and the pliers went too far on one side, nicking a blood vessel.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," the doctor apologized profusely as he quickly pulled the chip out as blood started running down her neck to her back.

Alarms started to go off, signaling that they found out Eira was gone and Bucky quickly knocked the doctor out. Eira had suddenly lost feeling in her neck and she asked hopefully, "Did he get it?"

"Yes, but..." he frowned at all the blood.

"But what?" she said in alarm.

"You don't feel that?" Bucky stared at all the blood coming out.

"No."

Bucky quickly grabbed a medical cloth lying on the table and pressed it to her neck. "Keep pressure here and don't you dare let go."

She felt for where his hand was and did as he told. Then he grabbed her other hand and pulled her along with him through the place on high alert.

She learned that Bucky was very sneaky. Even though the guards were searching for them, he somehow knew how to be like a shadow and go undetected.

Although, as they went, she got weaker and weaker from the blood loss. As it continued, more numbness followed. She wondered how much blood she was losing as she had to start to lean on Bucky for support. If she had feeling in her back, she would know that it was soaked and dripping with her own blood.

She almost thought that they were in the clear as they got feet away from the exit. But then they heard Valonkov, "Did you really think you could get away?"

Then they heard multiple pairs of boots on the ground as they became surrounded. Valonkov smirked as he approached them, "And you, Soldier, I'm disappointed."

"I'm not HYDRA's soldier anymore," Bucky glared. "You can get somebody else."

Valonkov laughed, "All we have to do is say the words. Shall I?"

Bucky clenched his jaw as his eyes widened. She frowned as she clutched his hand tightly, "The words?"

"I think we should show her, Barnes, how easily you fall back into form," Valonkov stated. "Longing, rusted, furnace..."

Bucky tensed as he stood straight. His face looked like he was in pain as he fought the words and she looked at Valonkov, "Stop it!"

"And what are you going to do?" he held up the device used to control her. "You know the rules..."

"I don't play by your rules anymore," she removed the bloody rag from her neck and his eyes widened. "What was it you said? If I don't comply, pain. If I escape, death..."

"No! Shoot..." But he didn't get to finish his command as she raised her hand and suddenly everything was on fire. The men screamed as Valonkov turned to ash in an instant.

She clutched onto Bucky's arm tightly as she grew weak. His eyes widened at the chaos before he looked down at her slumped against his arm. He picked her up in his arms bridal style before he exited the facility as he lectured, "I told you to keep pressure."

"I'm sorry," she breathed heavily as her eyesight started to blur. "But you were in pain..."

They exited the building into the cold of Siberia. Bucky walked in the direction he knew a small town was. Behind them, the building exploded and she formed a small smile before she passed out.

Bucky had ran to the small town close by, worried for Eira, and he went into the first building. There were many people on their phones and he spoke in Russian as they looked up, "Tell the authorities that Eira Stane has been found..."