❝Just know that from this point on, whatever happens, I'll be with you. I'm not gonna leave your side until you tell me to.❞
. . .in which she helps him find his way back to himself.
[BOOK ONE]
[Highest ranking: #1 in MCU/fanfiction as of 5/26/18]
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★ ★ ★
A knock on the back door caught all three of the men's attention. Sam got off of the couch to answer it, leaving Steve and Bucky in the living room together. The three of them had been working out some sort of game plan to retrieve Marlena since ten in the morning, but they couldn't exactly do very much without a location, nor could they do anything without talking to Natasha first. Steve had managed to get in contact with Maria earlier and informed her of the situation, to which she was more than happy to help them out with. Her only issue was keeping the information away from Tony, but with her intelligence and her mindset it should be a fairly simple task for her.
Natasha, however, was a completely different story. She was very particular about the missions she took part in, and Steve feared she would brush this one off as seemingly unimportant and decide not to help them. Bucky also played a part in it as well. Steve was afraid she wouldn't want to help because he was involved. He had tried to kill her, and although Bucky was Steve's best friend, Natasha didn't take things like that very lightly. It was part of the reason why Steve refused to explain the situation to her over the phone; he felt that he had a better chance of convincing her to help if he was able to speak with her in a civilized manner. Steve knew better than anyone that they needed Natasha with them on the mission—with her they would have a better chance at retrieving Marlena, at least in Steve's opinion they would.
"What is so important that I needed to leave New York for, Steven?" Natasha's voice echoed throughout the small house, catching the attention of Bucky and Steve.
The two of them turned to see Natasha strolling into the room, her pin straight, shoulder-length red hair bouncing as she walked. She held an almost-emotionless expression on her face, much like she did throughout her days, but the moment she saw Bucky sitting on the couch beside Steve, her entire demeanor changed. She stopped and stared at the former assassin with her jaw clenched, and her green eyes glazed over with anger and slight fear.
Bucky (or the Winter Soldier in Natasha's case) was the one person in the world Natasha had truly been afraid of, as well as the person she was currently most angry with. She knew he was Steve's dearest friend, but she hadn't forgotten that he had tried to murder both him and her—as well Sam—a mere two months ago. He had been brainwashed at the time, and Natasha knew that, but that gave her even more of a reason not to trust him.
"I thought I told you not to pull on that thread, Steve," Natasha murmured, looking away from a guilty Bucky and up at Steve.
"I didn't," he started, inching towards her. "I mean, I did, but somebody else did too."
Natasha shot a wary look towards Bucky and moved to sit down on the recliner at the opposite end of the living room, where the side table was equipped with a fairly large lamp for her to use in case Bucky decided to make a move. "You have ten minutes to tell me what the hell you're babbling about, otherwise I'll be on my way back to New York."
