The Crime of the Widow

40|. Here We Go Again

MARINA HOPPED OUT of the vehicle as soon as she pulled into her driveway. In her hands held the most delicious meal she had ever eaten in her life, an arrangement of food that Mrs. Livingston let her bring home after a Thanksgiving at her house. Marina was absolutely blessed and honored that she was able to go.

Everyone had welcomed her into their family, acted like they had known her since she was a child. For the first time in a while, she felt normal, a word that had always scared her. All these thoughts had distracted her from seeing the black sleek car in front of her. Her green eyes wide at the sight of it.

She gently pulled out her gun, still holding the box of homemade food in her other hand, and pointed it at the house. As soon as she got to the door, she swung it open and continued to point her gun, even when she saw the sight of James.

"You had scared me. I didn't know who that car belonged too." Marina breathed out in relief. She ignored the guilty look James was giving her and walked over to the counter to put down the food. "Is the car new?" She asked as she turned around. Her eyes widen, the gun already pointing at the man that had suddenly appeared in her house.

"Really? This is what you were doing?" Sam Wilson shouted as he cocked his gun as well. The two kept their eyes on each other, searching for any sudden movements from the other. "Hanging out with the enemy?" His eyebrows raised in question.

"I'm not the enemy. If any one is, it's James." Marina muttered angrily under her breath, her green eyes moving over to the familiar blue ones. "He told me that he wouldn't lead any avengers over here. Yet, look what he did. Traitor." Her eyebrows were furrowed in absolute anger and rage. She felt betrayed, she felt like she was finally fitting in with everyone and everything.

"Yeah, James." Sam taunted with a playful smile. James scrunched up his nose up and down in disgust as he walked towards 'friend', grabbing the gun from his hands. "Hey, that's mine." The falcon yelled out. Then, the soldier walked over to Marina, aiming to do the same thing, but she stepped backwards, cocking her gun as well as she pointed at him this time.

"Mar, please. We were attacked and we needed a place to stay because my apartment went kaboom. You were the first one I thought of." All while he spoke, James placed both of his hands on her shoulders, slowly caressing the back of it with his thumb. At first, she flinched slightly but was able to ease into the touch. "He's not gunna tell anyone, right?"

Sam looked between Marina who stood with worry filling her and Bucky who looked like he was going to punch him if he wasn't going to answer soon. So, the falcon nodded and James continued to talk. "See? You are safe. Everything is fine." The two nodded, separating form each other. "So how was Thanksgiving?"

Marina watched as Sam sat on her couch, making himself comfortable while also exchanging unreadable glances with James the whole time. "It was good. Mrs. Livingston let me bring home some food. So, here's some turkey, a couple of other things, and something called gumbo? They have it in Louisiana, but it's good." She shrugged her shoulders, handing the soldier the white box.

He opened it up and smiled at her. "Thanks." He sat at the bar with a fork he had grabbed not a moment earlier and immediately began to dig into the food he was so hungry for. "I haven't eaten all day. Want some Sam?" The falcon nodded quickly as he started to get up, but James just laughed with his mouth full. "That's good to know."

"Cruel." Sam muttered. "But, uh, how did this happen, exactly? Because last I checked you were on a top secretive mission from Fury who you couldn't tell anyo- Wait, does Nick know? No he doesn't. Wow." Sam exclaimed, blowing out a big breath of hair. "This is just- wow. You know I was right! It is a girl."