Celeste hugged Iris tightly, more than happy to see her.

It was the same way every morning, and Iris returned the embrace fondly. They'd nearly lost everything to Hydra.

Now, they had more than ever, but they still kept their grips tight on each other. No one could separate them again, Celeste was sure of it.

Iris was skeptical of that thought, but she didn't dare break through Celeste's hope. One thing she remembered that Celeste was all too fond to forget, was the fact that they were at war, and Hydra wasn't about to forgive them.

"I'll see you after our run," Celeste told her with a smile as she pulled away. Iris nodded, her lips lifting to return the gesture.

"You know it, 'Leste. Let's make sure Titanium lives up to her change in identity so that Hydra forgets who they decided to mess with."

Celeste's smile grew broader, and she nodded.

Today was different, though. Celeste turned her attention to Bucky, her smile fading just a minute amount. Iris had told her about the development between herself and the Winter Soldier, but Celeste still felt guilty. She hadn't been able to return his affections the way he'd wanted her to, and a part of her felt guilty, even though it was only human of her.

Bucky nodded, and they were on their way. Steve entered the lobby shortly after to join Iris. It had been five weeks since Iris and Bucky had found solace in each other. Spring was on its way, the ground warming gradually, the sun peeking out more and more often.

"How are you, Iris?" He asked casually, watching the distance in her eyes. Bucky and Celeste had taken off over two minutes ago and were out of sight, but she still watched for them, hoping for some sign that they were coming back.

"Do you ever get the feeling that today is different?" Iris asked softly, still not looking at the captain. "Like maybe you need to change your routine?"

Steve paused. Since he'd changed, he learned to never ignore gut instincts. Nothing was too petty to ignore. They'd been at this location for three weeks. It was time to move soon, anyway, and if one of their own thought now was the time to pack up and be on their way, then he would listen.

"Go retrieve Bucky and 'Leste. I'll inform the others that we need to get going."

Iris nodded and took off, heading in the direction she'd seen them go, following the same route she normally took whenever she went out, either with Bucky or Celeste. They pre-planned their routes by day so that if emergencies struck, they could be found in time.

Sprinting, Iris turned the corners the way she'd seen them plotted, looking for any sign of the figures that had filled her heart and her life.

Knowing they only had a three-minute head start at a jogging pace, Iris willed herself to keep going at a sprint, even though it hurt her to do so.

Hydra hadn't lied after all. They had given both her and Celeste the abilities of a super soldier, but it had taken plenty of conditioning to reach that peak. Celeste had plenty more training than she had, and was better off with her stamina and strength than Iris.

However, Bucky was with her and they were each other's pacemaker. Iris knew with that fact she could catch up to them.

It would be all right. They would get out of here.

~~~

"So, you and Iris, you're happy together, right?" Celeste honestly couldn't think of any other way to ask it. She hadn't spoken to Bucky about it yet. Only Iris had given her any information regarding their newfound relationship, but from what Iris had said, the passion was unbridled and unchecked, but she had no regrets about it. From what Iris had said, the girl wouldn't have it any other way. With the way they were living, she refused to waste a single moment that she had with the man she loved.

Celeste had cautioned Iris, reminding her that moving so quickly could spell disaster. Reminding her that with so much emotion involved and such high stakes, they couldn't afford a miniature disaster or fallout from two of their teammates.

Iris had simply reminded Celeste that regardless of what she and Bucky felt or experienced with each other, they were being hunted. It was only a matter of time before Hydra closed in on them. They only had so many places to run to, and each time they moved, Hydra was tightening their surveillance.

"We are," Bucky told her, and to her surprise, he smiled. It wasn't cautious like she'd seen so often from him. It was genuinely happy and unrestricted. It may not have split his face and reached from ear to ear, but the happiness he felt was obviously genuine, and unafraid.

His expression warmed Celeste's heart. "That's good," she answered, then paused for a few moments, her feet pounding against the pavement as they went. "I'm glad you two have each other," she continued slowly. "I mean, you're both very important to me, and I don't ever want to lose either of you, and I'm so glad that you have each other. Sorry, I'm repeating myself, but I just . . . It's obvious, how much you care about each other. You smile more lately. You light up around each other. I'm so glad you have that sort of connection. It's important to have hope, and to have a lighthouse in the dark."

Bucky's smile grew just a tiny bit as he glanced over at the woman running at his side. "I'm glad that you approve of us," he told her. "Last thing I want is to anger the human puppeteer."

Celeste huffed, but her smile stayed. "I resent that," she muttered, pushing him lightly. This was a side of Bucky she hadn't seen before. One that had a lilt to his heart.

~~~

Even after the incident with the jet, Celeste struggled to learn control over her newly known powers. As much as the Avengers volunteered to help her learn to control over it, she couldn't manage to get a handle on the electro-magnetic waves that coursed through the human body.

It was frustrating, to say the least.

But every time she practiced, she realized more and more why they wanted her back under their fold. Why they'd gone to such extremes to break her spirit.

With this sort of power, she could control movements, speech, even so far as to control thoughts if she became an expert.

While practicing with Natasha as her puppet, Celeste made her take aim and fire her guns at targets. The concentration required made sweat bead on her forehead, and it gave her a headache after a few moments, but she kept trying.

The shots were imperfect, but they were getting closer to the target's center each time.

After nearly half an hour, Celeste relinquished her control, wanting to collapse as her chest heaved.

Natasha put down her weapons and walked over, helping to support her. "Hey now, that was good. You're getting better. Remember, the small things are the hardest to control. The fine tuned movements are going to be more difficult than the big ones. It's going to be okay. You've just gotta keep training it."

Celeste nodded, and even though this was the most impressive of her abilities, she dreaded training them every other day. It was difficult to feel herself struggle with this. She was supposed to be good at it by nature.

Each time she expressed that frustration to the captain, though, he reminded her that it had taken her months to unlock her super soldier ability.

~~~

"We don't have months, though," Celeste argued, fiddling with her nightgown in frustration as she sat on the bed.

Steve had taken up sharing a bed with her each night now. Nothing ever happened outside of taking comfort in the other's embrace, and Celeste was all right with that. They were fighting for their survival, she didn't have to muddy her thoughts with those kinds of thoughts.

Pulling on a nightshirt, Steve walked over to her, cupping her face in one hand. " 'Leste, we're going to be all right. We'll fight with what we have, whether it includes your puppeteering or not."

"But that could be the best hope we have at making it out of a conflict with Hydra!" Celeste argued, a bit of panic starting to rise in her. "If I can't master it, then-."

"Then we'll make do and we will still win," Steve told her firmly. "We are a team. Don't assume that the responsibility falls on one member just because they have a certain power. That isn't how this works. We're all here for each other, we all fight together. We utilize each person's abilities, yes, but we do not put all the pressure on any one person. We are all strong. Just because the type of strength we have varies doesn't mean a damn thing. We're going to be all right. You're going to be all right. Hydra will not."

Celeste took a shuddering breath and nodded, leaning against his abdomen, and he held her closer. Despite the shaking world around them, Steve made her feel stable again every time she stood on the edge, the secondary injection ready to send her into lockdown.

~~~

" 'Leste!" Iris called out for them as they came into view. "Bucky!"

The pair stopped immediately, turning around to see Iris running towards them, sprinting, actually. The captain wasn't with her.

Something had to be wrong.

Celeste started towards Iris without hesitation, the blonde's breath coming heavily. "What is it?" 'Leste asked. "What's happened?"

"Nothing yet," Iris answered. "But we're leaving. I've got a bad feeling about this place right now. Captain said we're departing soon. He's notifying the rest of the team."

Celeste nodded, Bucky joining them. "Let's get back, then. No time to waste."

They survived the trek back without incident, but Iris swore she saw a camera flash more than once.