"The more violent the storm, the quicker it passes."

Paulo Coelho

           When the morning came around, it felt all too soon. Ophelia was well rested, there were no dark circles under her eyes and her muscles were not feeling exhausted as they had been in the last few days; only her throat with its deep bruising still hurt.

         However, it was her mind that felt filled to the brim. With Bucky's little pep talk the night before, she knew that she could opt out at any time, but that was what was weighing on her. There were things she not only wanted to do, such as fight beside the people she loved and cared about, but things she needed to do as well. There were times in her life where she wished she knew a few more things about herself, living off of a given name and a history of violence. It wasn't as if figuring out the names of her biological parents would suddenly give her some closure, but it would be a start.

           She slipped into her new outfit; it was not a cohesive suit like Steve, Bucky and Sam had, but for the time they had to get her something, it would do the job. The pants and jacket were protective and thick; it would prevent any road rash, and other surface wounds like it. The boots took a few minutes to wrap up her legs, and she stood there looking in the mirror before sliding the shirt on. Still surprised Bucky had convinced her into wearing it, she slid it over her body and took a deep breath. A knock came on the door and Ophelia pulled it open. Sam was standing there. "Mind if I brush my teeth?"

         "Oh, go ahead," she said. "I was just about to do the same."

         He stood beside her, both of them moving methodically as they began brushing their teeth.

         "Thank you, again, for yesterday. I know Bucky appreciates it too, he might never say it, but I know he does."

         "No need to thank me, Kid," he said with a frothy-toothpaste smile.

          "You don't..." She paused and tried to listen for Bucky and Steve; they were talking among each other. "You don't harbour any hard feelings for Bucky, right?"

         Sam sighed. "Hard not to."

         "I guess you haven't really had too many good experiences with him." She lowered her voice, knowing that both Steve and Bucky had better hearing than a regular person. "But I have."

         "Is it worth it?"

         "Every second of it." She confirmed with a smile, concluding what she wanted to talk to Sam about.

***

           "Really?" Bucky raised his eyebrow at the car Steve had chosen; this was not the first time Captain America had stolen a car, though he continued to insist that he was simply borrowing it. The blue Volkswagen bug was old, beat up, and yet completely suited Steve somehow. Though he didn't even sit comfortably in the front seat, Steve was clearly content with the vehicle he had chosen, and didn't understand why everyone looked at it with such question.

         "It blends in here," Steve insisted, then he sighed. "I didn't exactly have time to go car shopping."

         "Shotgun." Sam grinned, shooting a glance at Bucky who opened his mouth to protest.

         The backseat of the car was utterly tiny, and a man of Bucky's size would not sit in it comfortably. Still, Ophelia and Bucky climbed into the back. O sat behind Steve who had the seat all the way back, and her shins were pressed against the back of his seat. Sam had the seat back almost all the way, and Bucky looked uncomfortable as soon as he fought his way inside of the small car. There was a satisfaction buzzing around Sam, and judging by his expression, he felt as though he had won that.

         The drive to meet Sharon was not long, but there was a silence in the car that was only broken by the breathing of everyone within the small car. No one spoke as they drove along the city, hoping that everything was going to go smoothly. Spotting the sleek black car and Sharon leaned up against it, Steve pulled the car over and turned off the engine. Ophelia leaned her head over to the middle seat so that she could see out of the front window, and she watched as Steve made his way over to her. Wondering if he was actually going to tell Sharon how he felt, Ophelia wished that she could hear them talking. Leaning back in the seat so that she wasn't gawking, she focused on her breathing to keep herself calm.

         "Can you move your seat up?" Bucky asked Sam in a low voice, the question hardly a question at all, almost more of a demand.

         "No," Sam replied sourly.

          Ophelia cracked a smile, not because of Bucky's discomfort, but because of the strange dynamic between Sam and Bucky. They had a mutual best friend, and were forced to acquaint with one another because of that; there was a built in sense of prejudice, as the last time Sam had faced Bucky, he had intended to kill him. Ophelia had no doubt in her mind that there were a lot of people who would never understand the struggles Bucky faced, and would only see him as the Winter Soldier.

          With an edge to his movements, Bucky shifted into the center seat so that he might have more leg room. Ophelia moved her feet so that they were pressed against her side of the car, so that he might be more comfortable. Then, they all watched Sharon and Steve through the windshield. Without being able to hear them, they all sat there like children, waiting for the parent to return. Even though all eyes were on him, Steve finally did what he should have done a long time ago; he finally leaned in and kissed Sharon, the kiss lasting longer than Ophelia expected. A grin spread over her lips, she felt as though she had helped that kiss finally make its appearance.

         Steve turned to look at them in the car; Ophelia was smiling brightly, and Sam and Bucky were nodding in approval. Steve shook his head, but there was an obvious smile on his recently kissed lips. He shook his head at the onlookers he had before him, and carried the gear in one trip to their own vehicle. Putting everything in the trunk, Steve got back into the car, and watched as Sharon drove off. Without knowing when he would see her again, it made him clutch the steering wheel a little harder than he needed to. A sigh filled the small vehicle, which seemed comical with so many large men crammed into it. O was relatively comfortable, being no taller than 5'3''.

        Steve glanced back at Bucky and O. "Keep your hands to yourselves back there."

        O laughed lightly. "Coming from you?"

         "She get that sharp tongue from you, Buck?" Steve turned on the car and began to make the U-turn. Now that Sharon was gone, it was their turn to begin their little road trip to Leipzig. His eyes flickered into the rear view mirror every few seconds even though Bucky was now sitting in the middle seat and was blocking almost the entire back windshield.

        "Hey don't look at me." Bucky grinned. "She said it."

        "We're making one more stop, and then... well, we all know what happens after." Steve pulled into the first gas station that he saw. After filling up, he got back into the car and gripped the steering wheel once again, sighing heavily as he realized that this was it. This was the last chance they had to turn around, not that Steve would ever turn down any challenge, or any fight that needed to be fought. Still, there was something obvious in his eyes that showed his worry. Having Tony and the others against him, knowing that he was outside of the law and could easily be thrown into a maximum security prison just for doing what he knew was the right thing. It all weighed him down, but that had never stopped him before. "It's almost a three hour drive to Leipzig, Clint, Wanda and Scott should be there when we arrive."

         "Has everyone gone pee?" O asked in an almost motherly fashion.

          Everyone glanced at one another, and Bucky turned to her. "O, we aren't children."

          Ophelia crossed her arms and raised an expressive eyebrow. Each of them dropped their demeanor, their shoulders dropping as they realized she was right. A hum of laughter filled the small car, and one by one, they all climbed out of the tiny little clown car so that they might not have to stop again on the long drive ahead of them.