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It all was starting to make sense to Steph. Fury had lied to Bucky, or at the very least conveniently failed to tell him the whole story. Either way it was all the same to Steph. This is what SHIELD did. They lied and kept their people in the dark, no matter how important or how crucial they were to the mission. Maybe Fury wanted to test Barnes and see what he could really do, so he had him go after Steph at full force. If Bucky had known the truth about her, he would have been conflicted. So Fury didn't tell him.

"Sell it? Sell it!?" she spat on the ground. "What kind of fucking lies did Fury spin you? Did he tell you I was some hotheaded agent who decided to go into business for herself? Did he tell you I was some soldier of fortune who decided to strike it big? This shield is all I have, Bucky. I could be facing down hell itself and I wouldn't drop this shield. They gave you everything else I had. SHIELD gave you everything I was born to be. Everything I was promised. They're good at that. Just like they're good at hiding the truth. They gave you the mantle. I don't begrudge that now. You can have it. They need a poster boy to fight HYDRA as part of the military machine. That's a road I can't follow anymore. But the shield stays with me."

She offered him her hand. He took it skeptically and she helped him up. He studied her like he had when their eyes met in the medbay. She looked back at him and nodded, "You saw it when you woke up. I could tell. Everyone says I look like him. The shield is mine, Bucky, because Steve Rogers was my father."