Tony Stark.

I thought it would take him much longer to discover that I had given Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes sanctuary in my country, but it was less than a month since Siberia and here he was, in my state apartments in the palace.

"Mr. Stark, I'm honored by your visit," I told him. It was not a lie.

"Tony, please."

"Tony. I'm glad we could meet when circumstances are less – complicated."

He smirked and gave what I would call a cynical laugh. "Yeah, right. Look, I'll cut right to it – I'd like to talk to Bucky Barnes."

"And what does that have to do with me?"

"Since he and Steve Rogers are here in your country, at what I assume was your invitation, I figure it has everything to do with you."

"You believe Sergeant Barnes to be in Wakanda?"

"Oh, yeah. Barnes and Rogers and the rest of the merry band Steve spirited off the floating fortress. They're definitely here."

"What makes you think they are in my country?"

"Well, let's see – you told Ross that you followed a 'hunch' to find Zemo in Siberia; you didn't tell him that Steve or Barnes were there, or even that I'd been there. So, already you were hiding them. And where else could Steve take Barnes? He needs medical attention, specialized medical attention, and there's nowhere else Steve could get him that help and not have a global juggernaut on their asses two seconds later. But what really makes me think they're here, that they're all here, is the fact that you haven't said they aren't."

I gave no answer, verbal or otherwise. Mr. Stark – Tony – sighed.

"Okay, look. I'm not here to drag them back or report their whereabouts or try and get in another few licks on Barnes. I think I can help him and I'd like the opportunity to discuss it with him."

"Help him how?"

"With his memories. With maybe getting those trigger words out of his head. Give him a shot at something approaching a normal life."

I didn't ask how he intended to do those things – my opinion had no bearing on the matter. "If Sergeant Barnes were here, it would not be up to me whether or not you were allowed to speak with him."

"Look, just give Barnes this. He'll know what it means." He produced a plastic sleeve holding what at first appeared to be a large photograph. When he pushed it across the table to me I saw that it was a Captain America placard.

"And this is?"

"Call it a peace offering. Barnes will understand. I think he'll agree to see me if you give him that. If he's here."

"Yes, 'if'," I echoed him. "You know, I believe that word comprises either the most hope or the most regret in the world."

"And sometimes both."

"Indeed."

I left Mr. Stark in the capable hands of my assistant, directing that he be given a suite and the freedom of the palace, while I took the news of his arrival, and his peace-offering, to Sergeant Barnes.

Bucky, as he had asked me to call him, still resided at the hospital, and so Captain Rogers did as well. I did not find the two of them together as I normally did whenever I visited, however. Bucky was in his room, resting on his bed, staring at his overbed table. The bulk of dressings at his left shoulder had been reduced to a simple covering and the bruising on his face had faded from horrific to only just visible.

"Bucky? May I join you?"

His expression, which appeared troubled as he gazed at seemingly nothing, cleared as he looked up. "Sure."

"Steve isn't with you?"

"I told him to go for a run. He's got too much energy to burn off to be sitting here with me all the time. Do you need him? I expect him back pretty soon."

"I need to speak with you. I've been asked to convey a message to you."

"Oh?"

"Tony Stark is here in Wakanda."

Bucky nodded. "He knows I'm here," he said as though the information didn't surprise him.

"He surmised that this is the only place you would be safe."

"I can use as much of a head start as you're willing to give me –"

"You have no reason to leave; you are safe here and you will continue to be safe here. But I don't believe you to be in any danger from Mr. Stark. He assured me that he only wishes to speak with you."

Bucky hmpf'd in an amused way. "Then you better put one of us behind bars."

"You would attempt to harm him?"

"No, but I don't know if I'd stop him if he tried anything on me."

"As I recall, in Siberia you tried very hard to stop him."

Bucky looked away and shrugged his undamaged shoulder. "He was going after Steve. I tried to get away, I thought if I could get out of that place, he'd lay off Steve, but I couldn't get out. I had to protect Steve." His gaze returned to me. "You think he's telling the truth?"

"He asked me to give you this. He called it a peace offering." I set the placard in its plastic sleeve on the overbed table. Bucky's eyes widened as he stared at it. He lifted his hand as though to touch it then only hooked his fingers over the edge of the table.

"He brought this?" he asked. His voice was rough as though caught in his throat. "Tony Stark brought this?"

"He said you'd understand."

"No. I don't understand. Why would he give me this?"

Steve entered the room at that moment. "Who gave you what?" he asked.

Bucky gestured to the table. "Tony Stark brought this for me."

"Tony? He's here?"

"Not at the hospital," I told him. "He is at the palace."

Steve nodded, his jaw set. "I'll talk to him. If he needs to bring somebody in, I'll let him take me."

I was going to repeat that Tony had offered help and not threats but I was prevented by Bucky replying, "I never interfered in your fights until you were eating pavement."

"Nobody said this is a fight," Steve said.

"No, not if you go in with your hands up."

"I said I was going to talk to him."

"You said you going to give yourself up."

"I said –"

I felt I should interject before the discussion escalated into an argument. "Mr. Stark wishes to offer his help; that is his stated purpose in coming here. He asked me to give that to Bucky as evidence of his intentions."

Steve approached Bucky and the placard. Where Bucky's eyes had widened, Steve's eyes narrowed as he looked at it. "He brought you this?"

"It's from Bucharest," Bucky told him. "I got it in Washington, but you were looking at it in Bucharest."

"It was in your notebook."

"I looked at it whenever I –" at this point, Bucky seemed to remember that they were not alone, though he cast no glance in my direction. "I used to look at it."

"Tony brought this?" Steve asked me.

"He did. He wishes to speak with Bucky about helping him. It seems he may have an idea how to remove the words from his mind that cause the Winter Soldier to emerge."

Steve and Bucky stared at one another, unblinking and silent, until Bucky turned to me. "I'll meet him."

To be continued