Hello, Natalia

Steve stared at the chamber that housed Bucky. He remembered the good times he used to have with him when they were boys, he laughed to himself of the trouble the two got into. He began to grow restless, wanting the scientists to figure out how to help Bucky already. “It has been 3 weeks since he went under, have you found anything yet?” he addressed a scientist.

“We are onto something but we cannot guarantee anything. Scientific breakthroughs take longer than a few weeks, Mr. Rogers.” the scientist replied in a tired voice.

Hearing his phone ring in his bag outside the room, Steve stormed out and snatched his phone. At first he didn’t recognize the number, but after two more rings he realized it was Natasha. “Hello,” he picked up the phone.

“I was wondering if you knew how to answer your phone,” she laughed.

“How’ve you been?” Steve asked, silently hoping she had a mission for him. He needed to get his mind off Bucky.

“I’ve been...fine.”

“You know I don’t believe that.” he said.

“I’m on edge. I feel like Ross’ goons are gonna barge in at any moment. And if they don‘t find me, Tony will.” she worried.

“Right…you know you didn‘t have to help us back at the airport. I knew which side you were on.“

“I trusted you and you never let me down. I had a debt to pay.” she mentioned. “Anyway, I have something. I diverted a call to the compound. It’s a mission. A revolutionary group, the Messame Dassy. They supposedly set up shop in a motel in Georgia-not the state, the country. Not worth it if you ask me, but they might be looking for something. Sending you the coordinates by text.” she informed him.

“Okay. Thanks for this, really...thanks.”

“I’ll leave you to it then.”

But as she was about to end the call, Steve said, “wait. I want you to come with us. I miss you. And if we’re both criminals, let’s just be criminals on the run together.”

“Yeah? I don’t exactly have a way of getting over there, genius,” she snarked.

“In case you haven’t noticed, we have the Quinjet. Tell us where to meet up with you and we will.” Steve was excited to see her again.

She sighed, “alright, fine. I’ll send you the coordinates of where to pick me up. Be there tomorrow,” and she ended the call.

Steve ran to Sam’s room. He rapped on the open door, saying, “suit up. We’re going to pick someone up,” and he ran off.

“A mission. Like a real mission. Score!” Sam celebrated.

Sam and Steve piloted the Quinjet for hours before reaching Natasha’s coordinates. “Arizona. Not a bad hiding spot, but I’d choose something a bit more luxurious.” Sam chuckled, but Steve did not show any sign that he was listening.

They landed the Quinjet on a wide expanse of land near a small cabin. As they got out, they noticed Natasha standing near the structure. Steve jogged swiftly towards her, signaling Sam to stay put. “Hey there, stranger,” Natasha said, tipping the edge of her stetson.

“I like the new style. This your place,” Steve pointed to the cabin behind her.

“Yeah. I wanted to be isolated. I don’t think you can be any more isolated. The nearest town is 30 miles away,” she explained.

“You haven’t seen our safehouse.” he boasted.

“I’d like to.” she asked.

“We have to stop to pick up Wanda, so we’ll get you situated somewhere.”

“I have to grab my bag. Come in.” she invited him into her lodging.

He walked through the unusually short door and noticed a relatively empty space with the exception of a few empty wine glasses. He took note of this, not wanting to spoil the happy moment.

She walked into a small closet and Steve heard banging. After a minute or two, she emerged from the closet holding her avenger suit which was covered in a thin layer of dust. She wiped the dust off and stuffed the suit into her bag. “Let’s go,” she said.

When they were all in the Quinjet, Steve helped Sam get the plane in the air before he handed all controls to Sam. Natasha opened her weapons locker and questioned, “why is there a gun missing?”

“Oh, yeah sorry about that. Bucky needed it to kill the other winter soldiers, but they were all dead when we got there.” Steve explained.

Natasha crouched in a corner and Steve crouched beside her, knowing something was wrong. “What’s wrong, Nat?” he asked.

“Nothing. I am perfect...more than perfect.”

“I know you’re not. Tell me what’s going on.” Steve saw right through her lies. This was the agent he worked with on many missions already, he knew that she could only go so far before breaking. He knew the civil war hurt her, both physically and emotionally.

“I have been having nightmares for a long time. Ever since we got Loki in that cage. I went to talk to him to say what his next move was. He brought up my past, said Clint told him everything. He said Clint would have me killed, which of course he didn’t. But it brought back the trust issues and feelings I felt when I first met him. I continued with the mission, but I couldn’t get it out of my head...I still can’t.”

“You never told me that.” Steve said.

“I didn’t think it was important. I did my job, I did it right, I did it well. So it was no concern of you or anyone else.”

The rest of the trip was silent. Natasha thought it a bad time to bring up her flashbacks, which she had been having as a result of Tony. She didn’t want Steve going over to him and making things worse. The flashbacks were sometimes memories of good things, though. It was not as if she were remembering only bad things in her life, but rather she was reliving it in a random order and at random points in time that she couldn‘t control - like Billy Pilgrim.

When they reached Wakanda, Steve reached out to help the agent up but she didn’t seem to notice him. She was staring off into nothing but in her eyes, she was running away from the Hulk on the carrier. Before she knew it, she had been swiped off her feet and hit into the wall. The hulk then raised his hand but before he could hit her, Thor smashed him into the next room. After a moment, she flashed back into reality. To her left she saw Steve, squatting beside her and speaking in a gentle tone. To her right, she noticed Sam, standing and crossing his arms in a confused manner. When she turned back to Steve, she noticed his eyes were watery and he was at the brink of crying. “I thought I lost you there for a moment. I thought you were totally gorked.” he laughed slightly. He didn’t want to be selfish but deep down he just didn’t want to lose anybody else.

“I’m fine. I just...zoned out.” she brushed off the event.

“Cap may be stupid, but I’m not. I know what a flashback looks like.” Sam paused as she looked down, “what did you see?”

“Bruce...n-no, the Hulk. When we first recruited him for the mission with Loki. The time he got angry on the carrier.” she said.

“You didn’t mention you were having flashbacks,” Steve said.

“I knew what you’d say.”

“And what is that?” Steve asked.

“You would try to go kill the man who started them,” she told.

“Who? Loki?”

"No." She debated whether or not to tell him. She thought back to the trust he gave her, she knew she couldn’t hold a secret from him. “Tony.”

“What did that bastard do?!” Steve shouted.

“He said something to me.” she claimed.

“What?” Steve yelled, wanting a straight answer.

“Quiet, I’m telling you. He said, ‘it must be hard to shake, the whole double agent thing. It sticks in the DNA.’ It wasn’t the worst thing anyone has ever said or even done to me. But it pushed me over the edge of the cliff I had been hanging from for a while. I guess it was just the fact that it was him. I expected something of the sort from Loki, but I trusted Tony - at least as far as I could throw him.”

Steve was silent, he understood that words hurt her more than actions. She could hold her own in a fight, but confrontations were much harder to withstand. He wanted to kill Tony, though. Natasha was his friend in a business where there are very few friends. He stood and reached for her hand to help her up. The three walked together towards the base. T’Challa sauntered out to greet them. “I thought I’d never see you again. I thought Ross surely captured you by now, then again you are the black widow.”

“I fled the compound. Tony told me that you told Ross. I am sorry, by the way, for what I did to you.” she shooed Sam and Steve and said to T’Challa, “I owed Steve and me and James...we go way back.”

“Repaying a debt is a noble cause. What did he do that made you betray us?”

“He saved my life, and protected me from Hydra.”

“That is a big deal. Where did you first meet Mr. Barnes?”

“We are not close enough for me to tell you that. Besides, you seem to have changed sides.”

“Yes I did. I sided with Tony because I was fueled by vengeance for my father. I was wrong. But you betrayed the people who trusted you in that moment to stop Steve. You made a conscious decision and I don’t think you will recover from the consequences. I have business to attend to.” he walked away.